For those asking "What's/Why Linux?", see these...

[rgb1701]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwEWxpOWOok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwL0G9wK8j4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDh4LKTIxq8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szxmw0p_Urg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBUgEx_91BU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAr3XbqUbjo

If the first two don't make you choke up and/or give you goosebumps- there's no hope for you .

 

[Deleted 2]

The first one is very similar to a speech Saint Jobs gave at the 1984 Apple shareholders meeting--condemning IBM. It's nice to see IBM joking about Apple's reluctance embracing new things--IBM has been backing Linux for nearly a decade now.

 

[Bill Morris]

Cool. I especially liked the actor in the first one.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Cool. I especially liked the actor in the first one.

Me too. He should do a Trek show.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Who's the bald guy? Was he Captain Picard?

 

[Arrqh]

Yeah but... where are the flying cars?

 

[CorporalClegg]

If IBM wants to start a successful Linux ad campaign it needs two things:

1.) Be on television
2.) Star Tux.

Penguins are super popular these days (for what ever reason). They should use this to their advantage. At this stage of the game, the issue should so much be getting people to use Linux, but get people discussing it and recognizing it.

I’ve always thought a great Linux ad campaign would feature Tux as a cool cartoon figure with a rebel edge.

They could start it with the Superbowl—or leading up to it. Like during the last weeks of the football season and during the playoffs do really short spots with a blank screen and the words “Tux is coming.” Or something like that. Leave it mysterious.

Then, with the Superbowl itself, start a series of commercials with a light, fun approach that show case his antics: You know, like bashing windows or playing baseball with apples. (Lame, I know.)

They could then have different themes:

Bully Tux
Gangster Tux
Evil Genius Tux
Super Villain Tux
Dark Jedi/Sith Tux

So on and so forth. People will be caught up in the commercials that they will start showing interest.

Then you educate them about the most powerful Operating System in the world.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

IBM has been backing Linux for nearly a decade now.

IBM had to, people were picking up torches and pitchforks over OS/2!

AG

 

[FordSVT]

I’ve always thought a great Linux ad campaign would feature Tux as a cool cartoon figure with a rebel edge.

Oh God no, the whole 1990s Xtreme Rebel thing is so over. This isn't Sonic the Penguin, and I think the "cute/funny" approach like the Geico gecko or the animals in the award winning Canadian Telus communications ads would be a better way to go.

 

[JoeZhang]

I think if you just email, do a bit of web and a little word-processing then Linux is a very viable - there is a way to go before it meets my needs.

 

[scotthm]

If the first two don't make you choke up and/or give you goosebumps- there's no hope for you .

I guess one has to be an IBM customer to see the irony in them advertising "free" software.

---------------

 

[Alaedhros]

I think if you just email, do a bit of web and a little word-processing then Linux is a very viable - there is a way to go before it meets my needs.

All right, I'll bite--what do you need that Linux can't do?

 

[JoeZhang]

Well it's not that it cannot do in some cases, it's just that it doesn't do well at the moment.


1) Dragonally naturally speaking - not available for linux, nothing better available via OS.

2) Atlas Ti - not available for linux, nothing better available via OS.

3) Endnote - not available for linux, nothing better available via OS.

4) Nokia PC suite - not available for linux, a must-have because my phone is my (business life)

That's leaving aside various other issues - I think office2007 kicks the shit out of open office and the integration with outlook and the integration of the two with exchange + sharepoint - pretty damn handy.


I'm sure with time and effort, I could find work-arounds, hacks and the like, but why would I want to bother? a PC is a tool to me, it's not a lifestyle. For me to take Linux on, it has to work out of the box and do what windows does for me with little or no fuss.

 

[CorporalClegg]

I'm sure with time and effort, I could find work-arounds, hacks and the like, but why would I want to bother? a PC is a tool to me, it's not a lifestyle. For me to take Linux on, it has to work out of the box and do what windows does for me with little or no fuss.

God, if i had a dime for every time I heard that. Of course, I'd have to give most of those dimes back because once people actually take the time to get their "must have" programs to work, they wonder what the hell they were thinking in the first place. That is, if they don't decide that the programs really weren't as much "must have" as first thought.

And, all the programs you mentioned have easy to-do *except maybe the Nokia thing) work-arounds.

 

[JoeZhang]

I'm sure with time and effort, I could find work-arounds, hacks and the like, but why would I want to bother? a PC is a tool to me, it's not a lifestyle. For me to take Linux on, it has to work out of the box and do what windows does for me with little or no fuss.

God, if i had a dime for every time I heard that. Of course, I'd have to give most of those dimes back because once people actually take the time to get their "must have" programs to work, they wonder what the hell they were thinking in the first place. That is, if they don't decide that the programs really weren't as much "must have" as first thought.

And, all the programs you mentioned have easy to-do *except maybe the Nokia thing) work-arounds.

<adopts passive aggressive mode to match previous post>

What's the easy to do work around for atlas ti and Endnote? don't say "duel-boot" or "wine" because you've just misses the point.

In fact, you've entirely missed the point to start with, you still haven't explained why I'd want to take the time. Linux becomes of interest to people like me, when the replacements are there, I can install them and I go - there is no added value for me spending the time looking for those work around. For me Linux is currently a solution to a problem, I just don't have.

This is not me saying that Windows is "better" or Linux is "worse" but that for my particular usage that no current compelling reason to swop.

 

[Lindley]

Although I have little experience with Linux per se, the Unix core seems a heck of a lot more sensible than what Windows provides. On top of that it'd be difficult to screw up too badly....

 

[Santaman]

I use Linux a lot on older machines, they're mostly lightweight distro's like Xubuntu and Vector Linux but for the average stuff people do with PC's they're pretty damn good, even a lowly P-III 450 with 192 Mb RAM can do webbrowsing IM's ,IRC and the like without any problems.

Also I've tried PC-BSD which is pretty good as well.

 

[JoeZhang]

I use Linux a lot on older machines, they're mostly lightweight distro's like Xubuntu and Vector Linux but for the average stuff people do with PC's they're pretty damn good, even a lowly P-III 450 with 192 Mb RAM can do webbrowsing IM's ,IRC and the like without any problems.

Also I've tried PC-BSD which is pretty good as well.

Which is what I originally said - I think Linux is pretty good for most home users, also I have an EEE with Ubuntu running on it and it works fine for the limited stuff I want to do away from the office for a day.

 

[Santaman]

I can't really comment since all my Linux machines are ancient, I assume that Linux's capability's will be very much greater on a modern machine.

 

[Alaedhros]

Well it's not that it cannot do in some cases, it's just that it doesn't do well at the moment.


1) Dragonally naturally speaking - not available for linux, nothing better available via OS.

2) Atlas Ti - not available for linux, nothing better available via OS.

3) Endnote - not available for linux, nothing better available via OS.

4) Nokia PC suite - not available for linux, a must-have because my phone is my (business life)

That's leaving aside various other issues - I think office2007 kicks the shit out of open office and the integration with outlook and the integration of the two with exchange + sharepoint - pretty damn handy.


I'm sure with time and effort, I could find work-arounds, hacks and the like, but why would I want to bother? a PC is a tool to me, it's not a lifestyle. For me to take Linux on, it has to work out of the box and do what windows does for me with little or no fuss.

Thanks for the reply, I do appreciate it. I'm not familiar with the four apps you mentioned, but I'll be the first to agree that MS seems to have a "killer app" with the Office/Outlook/Exchange combo.

The reason I originally asked the question is because there are definitely many individuals (like, for example, my parents) that just use their computers for email/Interet browing/checkbook. When those people say "Linux can't do what I need", I get a bit skeptical. It seems you've certainly thought about and looked into the issue, though, which is a pleasant surprise--well-informed individuals are so rare!