Fedora

Bug #1 (liberation)
Comment #726

Comment 726 for bug 1

Revision history for this message

Simon Lugi (simon-lugi) wrote on 2008-07-11:

#726

I stumbled upon this forum a few days ago and have been reading through this discussion with great interest and decided to add my 5c worth.
I would describe my self as a non computer geek who has started using Ubuntu recently (4 months ago) partially out of curiosity and partially because I felt ripped off by Microsoft. I thoroughly enjoy using Ubuntu and really hope one day Ubuntu or any other OS will seriously challenge Windows dominance. However the reality is all Linux OS are still very far from becoming serious contenders.

Just because a product works, is stable and has a number of features that its competition does not have, does not mean it will be successful. It takes a lot more. Some earlier writers have pointed to the success of Firefox, however there is a huge difference between a web browser and an OS.
Purely based on personal observations and what I pick up from literature it really looks like Linux OS's are designed for computer geeks and people like me who like to fiddle. That is the market segment that Linux caters for, which at best will probably never exceed 10% of the global market. There are dozens of other market segments each with their own needs. Some of the biggest market segments are gaming and multimedia which can be further broken down into video and audio.

What Microsoft has managed to do over the years is to make Windows so prevalent in the market, that the majority of users these day probably cannot even distinguish between the OS and the applications they use (my teenage sons certainly couldn't until I introduced them to Ubuntu). Even the people that I have spoken to in the IT industry could not be bothered learning about other OS, because there is no reason.

The point I am trying to make is if Ubuntu's intention is to become a serious market player the development really has to be planned and managed as a business with some very significant financial investment. The plan needs to start with some clear goals and objectives. Then there needs to be marketing plans. Someone as successful as Mark Shuttleworth will no doubt be familiar with the 4P's of the marketing mix. At this stage Ubuntu only has one P in place and that is Price. (its free). The other 3P's, Product, Place and People are not ready for the global market.

I am sure you all get the picture.
Who's game to start on this new venture ??

Just because a product works, is stable and has a number of features that its competition does not have, does not mean it will be successful. It takes a lot more. Some earlier writers have pointed to the success of Firefox, however there is a huge difference between a web browser and an OS.  
Purely based on personal observations and what I pick up from literature it really looks like Linux OS's are designed for computer geeks and people like me who like to fiddle. That is the market segment that Linux caters for, which at best will probably never exceed 10% of the global market. There are dozens of other market segments each with their own needs. Some of the biggest market segments are gaming and multimedia which can be further broken down into video and audio.

The point I am trying to make is if Ubuntu's intention is to become a serious market player the development really has to be planned and managed as a business with some very significant financial investment. The plan needs to start with some clear goals and objectives. Then there needs to be marketing plans. Someone as successful as Mark Shuttleworth will no doubt be familiar with the 4P's of the marketing mix. At this stage Ubuntu only has one P in place and that is Price. (its free). The other 3P's,  Product, Place and People are not ready for the global market.

I am sure you all get the picture. 
Who's game to start on  this new venture ??