Date: 18 Sep 2002 06:00:51 -0600 From: Joe Warner <rootman22@attbi.com> To: Hans Drexler <drexler@geotax.nl> Cc: freebsd-advocacy@freebsd.org, advocacy@freebsd.org, GB <gbrooks@blue-mouse.com> Subject: Re: Answering the Questions (was Re: FreeBSD PR (long, rambling -- bear with me)) Message-ID: <1032350452.335.30.camel@C595663-A.attbi.com> In-Reply-To: <20020918103103.A68568@mail.geotax.nl> References: <20020913143941.A2346@blackhelicopters.org> <006c01c25b71$9adf6940$6e01a8c0@CITYMOUSE> <20020916084359.B20974@blackhelicopters.org> <20020918103103.A68568@mail.geotax.nl>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
--=-D97odRG2Jt2TWkUknlPv Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable >We should add a few business cases. This is key. It would be good to get some statistics that list who is using FreeBSD and how it's being used. It looks like this site is still being maintained and could be a useful tool: http://www.bsdcounter.org/ > This market is huge, and there are a lot of firms that just don't know > there is a good solution for them that will not cost them lots of money. I agree with this. A good example is software development. Most software companies rely on good change management/version control=20 systems. Commercial change management software can be expensive in both the price of the software and the hardware required to run it. FreeBSD was born to run CVS! On Wed, 2002-09-18 at 02:31, Hans Drexler wrote: > On Mon, Sep 16, 2002 at 08:44:00AM -0400, Michael Lucas wrote: > [...] >=20 > Please let me add my $0.02 for identifying BSD's audiences. There are a > lot of small to medium sized companies in the world that can benefit > from BSD for day-to-day jobs: > . handling e-mail > . handling the web-site > . file-serving > . other business tasks > This market is huge, and there are a lot of firms that just don't know > there is a good solution for them that will not cost them lots of money. > I am not thinking about the desktop applications, although we could > add pointers to MacOS X for that! >=20 > The strenghts of BSD in this market: > . reliable > . cheap > . stable environment (the project will not dissappear next month and has > a well thought out development and release cycle.) > . easy administration. (even I can do it). > If we can make a nice presentation targetted at admins and/or management > of these companies, a lot of new users can be coming our way! We should > add a few business cases. These should not be techy in style. They > should just present a solution to some business needs that are common. >=20 > This could lead to the development of deployment scenarios that can be > implemented by such companies easily. >=20 > I would be interested in thinking about these issues some more and contri= buting > to efforts in this direction. But english is not my native language... >=20 > Hans Drexler > bsd-advocacy@geotax.nl >=20 >=20 >=20 > > On Fri, Sep 13, 2002 at 05:04:59PM -0500, GB wrote: > > > Think of communicating about FreeBSD as a process rather than an even= t > > > -- handling PR, communications or whatever you want to call it as a > > > one-shot is sort of like thinking about network security as a one-tim= e > > > event: Such efforts are largely destined to fail. > >=20 > > OK. So, we need some sort of process and checklist for things. PR > > event happens, do X, Y, and Z. This checklist should be available as > > part of our PR-internal web site. > >=20 > > The following are my suggestions for answers to Greg's questions. > > Please discuss and clarify. > >=20 > > > Things to define include: > > >=20 > > > * Who are our key audiences? By this I mean those most likely to adop= t > > > FreeBSD or influence the decision process. (Having said that, I > > > recognize that focusing on potential adopters and their influencers i= s > > > just my gut instinct -- can anyone identify other groups we should be > > > reaching out to? Standards-setting bodies? Other *nix communities? Ti= m > > > O'Reilly so he'll send us free books?) > >=20 > > Our key audiences: > >=20 > > 1) ISPs: ISPs have long been fans of FreeBSD > > 2) Systems Administrators > > 3) Security-conscious networks > > 4) Embedded systems producers (no GPL to worry them, hurrah!) > >=20 >=20 > > > * What makes FreeBSD different/better for the newbie? For the person > > > with a little Linux experience under his/her belt? For the I.T. pro? > > > And, while we're at it, what does FreeBSD suck at? (Granted, we may > > > think it sucks at nothing, but someone is going to identify weaknesse= s > > > with the OS, and it's sound communications practice to have an answer > > > for ever assertion likely to come up.) > >=20 > > Better for the newbie: > >=20 > > Better for the Linux convert: > > --documentation: there is one true FreeBSD, none of this "this tutorial= only good under Purple Snot Linux" crud. > > --centralized design team > > --ports system > >=20 > > Better for the professional: > > --high performance > > --very secure > > --simple upgrade process > > --very, very debugged > > --designed and coded by highly experienced computing professionals > >=20 > > Places of suckage: > > --lack of "wizards" > >=20 > > > * What are we out in front on? Linux has a foothold in the corporate > > > I.T. world, OpenBSD has security and NetBSD has portability. What's o= ur > > > niche? Related question: Out of this niche and our identified strengt= hs, > > > what's our "elevator story?" (The 1-2 minute spiel what says what > > > FreeBSD is, why it's good and why it matters.) > >=20 > > We are the "friendly BSD". > >=20 > > Niche: Here, I'm stuck. I use FreeBSD damn near everywhere, except my > > crash lab. > >=20 > > > So far, I've heard mentions of posters and some other materials. Any > > > thoughts on how effective (if at all) any of the following might be: > > >=20 > > > * Professionally formatted white paper comparing FreeBSD-based soluti= ons > > > to Windows/Linux in various situations. > >=20 > > These would be excellent tools for systems administrators seeking to > > use FreeBSD. > >=20 > > > * FAQs or introductory documents directed at specific groups (again, = I > > > keep thinking of utter newbies, those who've dabbled in Linux and the > > > I.T. professional, but there are likely other groups as well). In a > > > perfect world, of course, everyone finds Perfect Wisdom by R-ingTFM -= - > > > but we don't live in a perfect world, so every bit we do to make the > > > learning curve easier helps make inroads. > >=20 > > These FAQs could be kept as "sub-divisions" of the current FAQ. > > Perhaps we could somehow "tag" FAQ entries as ones that should be > > included in a particular FAQ. > >=20 > > > * Some standard press materials/backgrounders that the media could > > > download, such as: > > >=20 > > > -- FreeBSD vs. Linux vs. Windows vs. Mac OS (a one-page table) > > > -- Major sites running FreeBSD > > > -- Uptime/reliability stats > > > etc... > >=20 > > Yes! > >=20 > > =3D=3Dml > >=20 > > --=20 > > Michael Lucas mwlucas@FreeBSD.org, mwlucas@BlackHelicopters.org > > http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/q/Big_Scary_Daemons > >=20 > > Absolute BSD: http://www.AbsoluteBSD.com/ > >=20 > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > > with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message >=20 > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message --=20 Extract from Official Sweepstakes Rules: NO PURCHASE REQUIRED TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE To claim your prize without purchase, do the following: (a) Carefully cut out your computer-printed name and address from upper right hand corner of the Prize Claim Form. (b) Affix computer-printed name and address -- with glue or cellophane tape (no staples or paper clips) -- to a 3x5 inch index card. (c) Also cut out the "No" paragraph (lower left hand corner of Prize Claim Form) and affix it to the 3x5 card below your address label. (d) Then print on your 3x5 card, above your computer-printed name and address the words "CARTER & VAN PEEL SWEEPSTAKES" (Use all capital letters.) (e) Finally place 3x5 card (without bending) into a plain envelope [NOTE: do NOT use the the Official Prize Claim and CVP Perfume Reply Envelope or you may be disqualified], and mail to: CVP, Box 1320, Westbury, NY 11595. Print this address correctly. Comply with above instructions carefully and completely or you may be disqualified from receiving your prize. --=-D97odRG2Jt2TWkUknlPv Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name=signature.asc Content-Description: This is a digitally signed message part -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (FreeBSD) iD8DBQA9iGryy8v4Vaw+EcoRAn4FAKCG3xjj+uToVw8J8wAIrM3KRNdppgCeNHxH iyM3mcR3tCmfQVLXr0dOGEk= =4uom -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --=-D97odRG2Jt2TWkUknlPv-- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?1032350452.335.30.camel>