Geez... for the 12-18 months...
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| garymax Jul 16, 2009 8:27 PM EDT |
For the next 12-18 months we are going to hear non-stop about the blogware known as ChromeOS. Everybody is going to have an opinion, or speculate about how the OS is irrelevant, and all the while Google will benefit from the hype machine--no matter which way the hype goes. (As long as you pronounce the name right any publicity is good, huh?) By the time it's time for Google to put-up-or-shut-up, the whole IT community will be tired of hearing about it. But then again, that might be a good thing, after all! |
| tuxchick Jul 16, 2009 8:40 PM EDT |
You might want to read the actual article; Emery does some nice satire, which I thought was obvious from the lede, if the headline didn't make it apparent enough. And yeah, we're going to be bombarded with ChromeOS "news".... |
| tracyanne Jul 16, 2009 9:01 PM EDT |
Well that was a breath of freah air, on the whole subject. |
| tuxchick Jul 16, 2009 9:39 PM EDT |
In breaking news: CHROME OS!!! |
| gus3 Jul 16, 2009 10:35 PM EDT |
Is that news, of that which is breaking? |
| jdixon Jul 16, 2009 10:39 PM EDT |
> (As long as you pronounce the name right any publicity is good, huh?) Except for an obituary. |
| garymax Jul 16, 2009 10:44 PM EDT |
Tuxchick, I read the article. It is the entire recent spate of articles that I am referring to. I just chose this one to comment to. Unless you wanted me to choose another one that is more appropriate? Just let me know which of the 15 or so... |
| tuxchick Jul 16, 2009 10:53 PM EDT |
Sorry garymax, I like Emery's writing a lot and wanted to hear him get lavish compliments. I will go away now and stop hovering like some kind of pushy stage mother. |
| caitlyn Jul 17, 2009 4:51 PM EDT |
Actually, I'm with tc on this one. Of all the Google Chrome OS nonsense I've read this is the first article I enjoyed that accurately portrayed the situation. FWIW, I just downloaded and burned Live-Android. At least that isn't entirely vaporware. |
| tracyanne Jul 17, 2009 11:24 PM EDT |
@caitlyn, downloading as we speak. |
| hkwint Jul 19, 2009 3:56 PM EDT |
Finally one of my 'predictions' came true: When I suggested 'OOXML would be a huge thing' I was wrong (it became huge though, but in another way), but when I suggested the Chrome thing would make people forget the Mono-crap - err "debates" I mean - I was right! Message to Roy: I think ChromeOS was really invented by Novell and Miguel de Icaza to draw our attention elsewhere and shove Mono through our throat. Counted - 41 Chrome stories on LXer the last 12 days - only one of them posted by me (first post!) That's more than three stories about something that doesn't exist a day. |
| tracyanne Jul 19, 2009 5:18 PM EDT |
Downloaded Live-Android, it's not a bad phone OS, I would use it as a general Computer OS, for the same reason I'm a bit wary of using it as a phone OS. When web browsing, the default is to go through Google search, you can actually type in a url but it's not easy to find where, and even then I'm not sure ti isn't actually going through Google search. The entire default stack seems like a conduit to Google to me. As such I don't like it. It's very Apple iPhoneish in that repect. In other words Android is a platform designed to funnel users to Google, just like iPhone is designed to funnel users to Apple. |
| herzeleid Jul 19, 2009 5:39 PM EDT |
There's nowhere I'd rather search than google. For instance, I didn't know what bing was so I googled it. bam. just like that. I have no use for bing, but now I know what it is. |
| hkwint Jul 19, 2009 5:54 PM EDT |
Quoting:There's nowhere I'd rather search than google. Yes, there is; if you care about freedom that would be. Because you are on LXer, it seems you care about freedom, so let me 'advertise' it. You're not supposed to be using it because it's better than Google, because probably when it comes to search engines there's not anything that's better than Google as of today. Not that Google is good, because it isn't, but the alternatives are even crappier. But if privacy is one of your concerns, you should care. And because your privacy is related to your freedom... It's a meta-search engine called IXQuick, but you (probably) haven't heard of it - yet. Don't look it up on Google - Google is completely useless for looking up such things. I suggest you rely on Wikipedia instead. Wikipedia makes half of your Google-searches superfluous - meaning Google will only know half about you compared to what they know if you use Google for everything. Not that Wikipedia is good or you should trust it - you shouldn't, but at least AFAIK it doesn't log anything you're searching for to link it against your GMail etc. As you know Google saves everything related to your IP-address for eternity; including _all_ your Google searches. Together with your IP - even after you died. Worse: Every server Google redirects you to knows what you were searching for and logs that - together with your IP. In this manner, your search terms together with your IP are logged on dozens of webservers. Anyway, IXQuick uses Google, Yahoo, Bing and other 'top' search engines, and acts like a tunnel: You use Google (and Yahoo) without them knowing it's YOU who's using them, it returns the results, but doesn't log your IP at all. Now, if I can only find out how to make FF not use Google by default (Google is their biggest sponsors, seems Google is hard-linked in the FF code, or I'm missing something) when typing in the URLbar - note I'm _not_ referring to the search bar here! - I'd be really glad. |
| tracyanne Jul 19, 2009 8:04 PM EDT |
Quoting:Now, if I can only find out how to make FF not use Google by default Mandriva One comes with FF set to Ask.com by default |
| azerthoth Jul 19, 2009 8:37 PM EDT |
Yes, but LXer is only the second link on ixquick, well it is on google too, right after their aggregated pick. search term: linux news |
| jacog Jul 20, 2009 3:41 AM EDT |
A few nights ago on the radio, the jock in studio mentioned Google Chrome OS. This was a regular radio show that plays music, not an IT show. Anyway... he said that Google was going to release a new operating system to complete with Microsoft, and that competition was good, and "we'll keep our eye on this one". It annoyed me somewhat because Google will be offering less than a complete operating system, far less than what you get with a well polished distribution - why is he not keeping his eye on that instead? What about MacOSX ... that's also competition. Google possesses the same magical ability to BS masses of people into believing their product is the bestest mostest originalest thing out there, purely by attaching their name to it. I am not saying their product is necessarily bad. Heck, even Microsoft have released the occasional good product. But my point is, they probably don't have to do that to be successful. They can just plop their name onto a pile of poop, brand it GPoop (or MS Poop), and there will be a swath of people who will be sold on the fact that they need poop, and this is the poop for them. (And a few will even believe that abovemenioned company invented poop). At least one of the above companies will even file for a patent for poop. Poop. |
| Sander_Marechal Jul 20, 2009 4:20 AM EDT |
Quoting:Yes, but LXer is only the second link on ixquick, well it is on google too, right after their aggregated pick. LXer is #1 on Google when you use google.com, the US/international Google. It's usually #2 on localised Google (i.e. Google.nl, Google.ca, etcetera). |
| bigg Jul 20, 2009 6:19 AM EDT |
> Google possesses the same magical ability to BS masses of people into believing their product is the bestest mostest originalest thing out there, purely by attaching their name to it. That's what brand recognition does for you. Linux has no marketing, and is treated accordingly. |
| jacog Jul 20, 2009 6:36 AM EDT |
bigg: Problem is that one can't really market "Linux" that easily. What is it, who owns it? Is "Linux" what you run your web site on, or is it what you do your word processing with, or is it the thing that powers your set top box? Marketing Linux thus becomes the task of the individual product owners, the people that benefit financially from Linux. Ubuntu has done an awesome job at marketing itself. It is very well known, and it's success can be measured by how much it is hated by distribution snobs. One should not hate it for doing something well that a lot of other Linux-based products fail to do. It has money behind it, sure... but Canonical also have this illusive "comminuty building" thing pretty figured out. So yah, I probably should not hate on Microsoft and Google either... but... grrrr, I want to and I will sit here and sulk if I can't. |
| tracyanne Jul 20, 2009 6:51 AM EDT |
Quoting:Problem is that one can't really market "Linux" that easily. Yes you can. I do it in my own small way every day, Ken does it, hundreds thousands of people do it. And yes you can market Linux. How about this for a scenario. Shots of people, young old blue black and brindle, doing things on their computer, ordinary things, surfing, emailing instant messaging, doing their accounts, writing letters, playing games, looking up thier family tree, downloadng/processing photos etc etc. We see KDE and GNOME and Xfce and compiz in action. Voice over at "with the power of Linux, at your finger tips." a cute little tux penguin waddles up to a wall into which a dirty or cracked window is inset, and pushes the wall aside, letting in sunlight and other wonderful things. The voice over continues, "you can go anywhere." |
| jacog Jul 20, 2009 7:14 AM EDT |
I didn't say you can't. It's just not easy. Linux is not a brand name in the strictest sense, so it as a concept/idea/product/something is not something that can be conveyed simply to people with no idea what it is in the first place. We're all evangelists, sure... but for every one of us doing our little part, there are 10 Windowbies doing the same thing for their platform of choice. And on top of that, they have Microsoft spending stupid amounts of money on advertising, shills/FUD and other counter-marketing tricks. And to add to it... they can clearly advertise Windows XP/Vista/7 as specific things. I'm just presenting the challenge. Overcoming it is the fun part. |
| tracyanne Jul 20, 2009 8:07 AM EDT |
I've just described how Linux can be branded. I've just shown how Linux is a specific thing, the thing that opens doors, the thing that makes all the things a person wants to do on a computer possible. I've just shown how you can market Linux generically. Show the things that Linux does best. repeat repeat repeat. Then find another way to show Linux doing what it does best, with ordinary people doing those things with Linux. make it clear that it takes the power of Linux to make these things easy, and fun and exciting and {some things] impossible to do without Linux, then repeat repeat repeat. Of course it requires that the Linux community, as delineated in this http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4544.html article, get off their arses, and work out where they actually want Linux to be "on the Desktop", among other things. |
| jacog Jul 20, 2009 8:30 AM EDT |
But all the things you mention in your video montage are things you can just as easily show being done with Windows. EDIT: And where would this hypothetical advert be aired... who will pay for it? Is it part of a greater marketing strategy with actual marketing people behind it? Who will pay them? |
| tracyanne Jul 20, 2009 8:31 AM EDT |
doesn't matter. Seen car ads. they are all the same. Yet people buy different car brands. Brand awareness is what counts. Did you think there was something magical about linux that doesn't exist in Windows, other, that is than the nebulous quality called security, and stability and Freedom. All of which you reinforce in your story line, in any case. |
| TxtEdMacs Jul 20, 2009 10:10 AM EDT |
jacog, You know when you use these terms: Quoting: ... Google possesses the same magical ability ... [get] people into believing their product is the bestest mostest originalest ...you are impinging on my person IP. A check made out for Cash will return you into my good graces. YBT |
| jacog Jul 20, 2009 10:33 AM EDT |
Quoting:Brand awareness is what counts. "Linux" is not a brand in the same way that Chrystler, VW or Toyota are. If you tell a group of 10 strangers through a TV ad that "Linux" is the thing they should have on their desktop, you are not doing them any favours. If all 10 rush off to go get themselves some "Linux", chances are at least some of them will be sorely disappointed. Some will run to the store and find nothing. Some will end up trying distros that either are not easy to set up, or are poorly configured for everyday use. But some will end up with Ubuntu, because the Ubuntu marketing has worked, and it's the only distro name these people might have heard about... so there's a good thing about marketing a distro instead of the abstract concept of "Linux". |
| jdixon Jul 20, 2009 3:23 PM EDT |
> "Linux" is not a brand in the same way that Chrystler, VW or Toyota are. Seems fairly close to me. When you say a Toyota, you may mean a Yaris, a Corolla, a Matrix, a Camry, a Prius, a Venza, or an Avalon. And that's just in their car line, without considering different classes of each. That seems very similar to a set of desktop Linux distributions. |
| number6x Jul 20, 2009 3:41 PM EDT |
regardless of Chrome's status as the new 'Prince of vapor ware' (Duke Nukem Forever will always be the king), Chrome still be more stable in Beta than any Windows OS will be in final release. |
| Steven_Rosenber Jul 20, 2009 3:45 PM EDT |
I think the story of Google Chrome OS, from a pretty audacious announcement about how great it's going to be ... to actually getting there will be interesting. We'll see how long it takes (and if Google sticks with it) |
| jacog Jul 20, 2009 3:49 PM EDT |
jdixon; What is "Linux"? Explain it in a way that's brief and can be understood by someone who equates "PC" with "Windows". Let's milk the car metaphor a bit. Is Linux the car, range of cars, the engine, the battery, the exterior, the interior? My own answer is that it's any of those things or all of those things. Explaining Linux as a general concept to someone requires more education I think, to avoid confusion and frustration. |
| Sander_Marechal Jul 20, 2009 4:46 PM EDT |
jacog: Linux is a platform. Just like Windows is a platform and MacOSX is a platform. Individual Linux distributions are like "brands". That's how you should market it. Linux is a family of operating systems and there are dozens and dozens of brands. Technically it's incorrect and RMS would probably throw a hissy fit, but it gets the point across and can easily and adequately be explained in a 20 second commercial. |
| jdixon Jul 20, 2009 4:54 PM EDT |
> Is Linux the car, range of cars, the engine, the battery, the exterior, the interior? In it's most common usage, it's the range of cars. Yes, there are alternative usages, but that's the most common one. |
| hkwint Jul 20, 2009 5:16 PM EDT |
Quoting:"Linux" is not a brand in the same way that Chrystler, VW or Toyota are. It's more like a brand in the same way that the "European Union" is a brand. Not everyone likes to see the brand 'expanding' with new 'members'. That's why cooperation 'between' Linux is so hard. |
| hkwint Jul 20, 2009 5:19 PM EDT |
Quoting:Now, if I can only find out how to make FF not use Google by default keyword.url it is, in the about:config. That's apart from browser.search.order. If I have some time, I might write an article about 'becoming free of Google', including how to remove as much Google as possible from FF. |
| jacog Jul 21, 2009 3:43 AM EDT |
My head must be poisoned, because I keep thinking... "if not Google, then what?" There's a joke floating around about Bing that says "Bing" is an acronym for "But it's not Google". |
| azerthoth Jul 21, 2009 8:03 AM EDT |
clever |
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