Modify Colors
Posts in marketing
The big question everyone asks when it comes to Linux is “why doesn’t everyone use it?” That is, obviously, what I plan to address today, but first I want to get a few things out of the way.
No one knows what Linux’s market share is, so don’t argue about it. Do you count server users or just desktops? Do they have to be going online to count? Do they have to install updates and, if so, how frequently? Do they have to visit certain sites? Do they spoof their user agent strings so they look like Windows? And so on… The guesses out there vary widely from just about nothing to about equal to OS X, which is a pretty wide range, so don’t even bother arguing about it.. No one knows.
You don’t have to use the terminal to use Linux, as I have demonstrated with my Terminal Test.
For the most part, the problem is not technical issues. I don’t want to go all the way to saying technical issues are not a piece of the problem, but the average user does not use multi-monitor setups, crazy SLI/CrossOver dual-graphics card setups, or anything else crazy. They use computers – the kind Dell and HP sell. Yes, I have built custom computers, but most people don’t and, if they do, they should be able to troubleshoot their own issues.
It’s never an even playing field for the little guy. Almost no one has the luxury of starting with an even playing field. If you’re smaller, you have to prove you are better –as in a lot better. Sometimes even that isn’t enough. No it’s not fair, but it’s not going to change either.
So what is it?
The answer is marketing. No, not big-budget TV commercials, but ordinary word-of-mouth “hey, give this a try” type marketing.
Look at Apple. Not long ago they were in a similar position to desktop Linux. What was it that got them from there to where they are now? TV ads? They were certainly helpful, but no. Steve Jobs? He definitely helped get the Apple fanboy movement started, but no – at least not directly. Word of mouth marketing? Yes.
Passionate users encouraging their friends and co-workers to try a new type of computer (seriously, most people don’t use the words “operating system”) is what drives people to try that new computer.
Yes, but that already happens.
True, there are already a lot of passionate (perhaps too passionate) Linux users out there marketing Linux to just about everyone they come within twenty feet of. The problem is that Linux also suffers from the problem so perfectly described in this XKCD comic:
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 2.5. Image from XKCD.
(Side note: if you haven’t already heard of XKCD, you need to check it out.)
It’s not that you have to be geeky to use Linux, it’s that a lot of people enjoy becoming geeky while using Linux. (*cough* don’t know anything about this myself). That’s fine. I have nothing against people who like exploring and tweaking their systems, but, please, when you suggest Linux to your normal (not interested in the internals of their system) friend, try to be user-friendly in introducing it. Set everything up for them and help them through any problems without taking terminal-based shortcuts (we already demonstrated you don’t have to, remember?)
And one more thing: don’t recommend “Linux.” Recommend Ubuntu. Or Fedora. Or OpenSuSe. Or whatever distribution you like, but pick one and tell them to try that specific one. Preferably, pick the one you use on your own computer, so that you can best help them out if they run into any issues.
Conclusion
Word of mouth is the most powerful way forward Linux has. The key is just to keep in mind who you are talking to. Not everyone is as interested in comptuers as you are.
One of the most common complaints about Ubuntu is that there is just too much orange/brown in the default theme. Although this might seem like a simple matter of changing the theme, it is not.
For one thing, there are also plenty of people who like the default Ubuntu themes (myself included.) More importantly, though, Ubuntu has developed very good branding and marketing and the orange/brown is part of that. Dropping the orange/brown color scheme could even confuse people who associate Ubuntu with orange/brown.
So what can be done about this problem if changing the theme is not an option? A lot. Luckily, some of it has already been done.
I propose leaving the Human theme as the default but including or providing easy access to a small number, no more than 4 or 5, of other themes.
This capability to do this is really already around. Just launch synaptic package manager and install blubuntu-look. Then go to the Appearance windows and switch to Blubuntu. Unfortunately, Blubuntu is not well promoted and should be simpler to install.
This is why I propose creating a place in the Appearance window where one of a few themes can be selected to be installed and used. Of course, third party themes can still be installed, but, hopefully, fewer people will find the need to use a different theme.
So where are these themes going to come from? Well the normal thing to do would be to assign it all the Art Team, but instead I think the Art Team should focus on just the default theme and leave the alternate themes to a competition, as some people have suggested should be done with the default theme.
In order to make the competition more structured, I also think that there should be categories and one theme from each category (the one with the most votes) should be included. The categories don’t have to be specific. For example, there might be a green category, a blue category, a dark category, a plain category, and an other category.
Finally, to make it easier to submit entries, a new function could be added to Ubuntu so that once you had come up with a theme you liked you could easily submit it with the press of a button.
Through this idea, I believe Ubuntu can overcome the color concerns of some people, appeal to more users, and not lose branding and marketing work, all at the same time.