On Sat, 2011-06-11 at 21:42 +0100, john beddard wrote: > These are valuable lessons that we need to take on board Tony. > > However we are dealing across an international community, where Ubuntu > can have different meanings. Not forgetting that Microsoft Windows has > very negative image across the world. To the point that most users had > to begin using it, because they had no other choice. > > My first response would to make the name more accessible by the > marketing people : U2 Ubuntu. However, probably better, would be the use > of graphic characters, something the open-source community has been > exceptional at doing. So for example a Natty Narwhale character for the > current 11.04 release. Making each major release more memorable. > Alternatively, whilst Ubuntu's logo is strong, this characterisation > could be done for the school's and young adult market in general. > > John > > > > On Sat, 2011-06-11 at 21:06 +0100, (:techitone:) wrote: > > Hi, > > > > I've been using Ubuntu on and off for a couple of years now and have > > learned a lot from reading the UK Ubuntu Talk emails. I've install > > Xubuntu many times on older (+5 to -10 years) laptops and I've given > > these laptops to people to borrow for community projects that I'm > > working on. > > > > It takes them a little while to get out of their Windows or Mac OS way > > of working but the people that borrow them are eventually impressed by > > how easy and reliable they are to use. > > > > These people are 'Joe Public', they have no tech skills and have no > > desire to have any tech skills. All they want/need to do is email, use > > Facebook, surf the Net, write something to print out, maybe watch a > > DVD and play music. > > > > Everyone knows what Windows is because they, their friends, family, > > neighbours, work colleagues etc use it. Windows is everywhere in Joe > > Public's world. > > > > Some of them use Mac's, sometimes for the same reasons as above for > > Windows but in my experience it's because it's what they used during > > further and higher education, ie for creating video's using Final Cut > > Pro, publishing using In Design etc. They then go into the industry > > and use FCP etc on Mac's in the workplace. The iPod, iPhone and iPad > > have also converted many users to the Mac. > > > > In my experience when I speak with people about trying, or even > > switching to, Ubuntu there is always a stumbling block with the name > > 'Ubuntu' and the names of all the releases, Dapper Drake, Hardy Heron, > > Karmic Koala, Lucid Lynx, Maverick Meerkat, Natty Narwhal. They just > > seem to 'switch off' to the whole idea of it. > > > > Windows is a familiar word. It's releases have progressive names, > > Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7. They sound cool. > > > > Mac OS X 'sounds' cool. Its big cat release names sound powerful. Lion > > is soon to be released and is very cheap. This is cool. > > > > If it doesn't sound cool it isn't gonna sell, even if it's free! Any > > advertising freelancer will tell you this. > > > > What's Ubuntu? What's an Ubuntu? The UK market have no > > concept/comprehension of this word. They have no common frame of > > reference. > > > > They want to know what the word Ubuntu is. I tell them it's a > > philosophy and that it means, > > > > "I am what I am because of who we all are." (From a translation > > offered by Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee.) > > > > and that it's an operating system that they can freely install on > > their PC. I can even give them the wiki definition, > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_%28philosophy%29 > > > > And by the time I mentioned the names of the releases they have just > > glazed over. Apart from when I say 'Maverick Meerkat' which is 'cool' > > because of the TV ads featuring a Meerkat that says, "Simples". > > > > If Ubuntu is not a cool word = Ubuntu is not cool :( > > > > Most of the people that borrow the laptops end up installing a copy of > > Ubuntu on their home Windows PC so they can dual boot into either, > > just in case!' They feel much 'safer' using Ubuntu after using it on a > > free machine for a while, with everything installed for them and > > working. > > > > Only one person I've 'spoken' to about Ubuntu has installed it on > > there own desktop as their only OS. They came to my house to install > > it becuase they we're worried something would go wrong. This person > > really enjoy's using Ubuntu. They took a copy of it to Uni on a > > bootable flash drive and impressed fellow students and their lecturers > > when they were able to boot a copy of Ubuntu from a 'pen drive' on a > > networked Uni PC, and were amazed when they could gain access to files > > they shouldn't have been able to! This made what Ubuntu could do cool > > for these people, the name though was not popular. > > > > The Ubuntu OS is really cool, but we know this. The word Ubuntu is > > cool in our world but from my experience it's not cool in the world of > > Joe Public. > > > > I would really like to find a way to enthuse people about Ubuntu but I > > don't know how the get past it's name turning them off the idea. > > > > Any suggestions, please? > > > > Cheers, Tony :) > > -- > > -- > > (:techitone:) > > -- > > >
Two quickies: 1/ if the users care more about the name than the system,; why bother building a system? 2/ whilst we in the minority: we are not the target [MacDefender refers] Cheers, SuprEngr. ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
