Why would I want Fedora?

[Rahul Sundaram]

Hi

I helped write what is described in the front page of what Fedora is
for. To quote from http://fedoraproject.org

" Fedora is a Linux-based operating system that showcases the latest in
free and open source software. ..."

While I think what follows after that is still useful, perhaps we can
start with something like:

"Fedora is a free alternative to proprietary operating systems like
Microsoft Windows and provides a easy and powerful graphical
environment, office suite, games and more. It is a secure and virus-free
experience with brand new releases full of major improvements every six
months all for free."

That would be useful for someone new to Linux to understand what this is
all about or if we want to be more explicit about the audience
(considering
http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-May/msg00843.html), we
can do:

"Fedora is very focussed on free software and does not include
proprietary or patent encumbered software applications. Fedora is a
leading edge operating system with a rapid release cycle and best suited
for free software contributors, free and open source enthusiasts"

Comments?

Rahul

[Jeroen van Meeuwen]

On 05/15/2009 02:57 AM, Rahul Sundaram wrote:
>  Hi
>
>  I helped write what is described in the front page of what Fedora is
>  for. To quote from http://fedoraproject.org
>
>  " Fedora is a Linux-based operating system that showcases the latest in
>  free and open source software. ..."
>
>  While I think what follows after that is still useful, perhaps we can
>  start with something like:
>
>  "Fedora is a free alternative to proprietary operating systems like
>  Microsoft Windows and provides a easy and powerful graphical
>  environment, office suite, games and more. It is a secure and virus-free
>  experience with brand new releases full of major improvements every six
>  months all for free."
>  
I would like to object to the image of Fedora merely being "an 
alternative", especially in the context of being an alternative to 
Microsoft Windows. If anything, Microsoft Windows is a very sad (or 
humorous) alternative to Linux.

--Jeroen

[Rahul Sundaram]

On 05/15/2009 10:36 AM, Jeroen van Meeuwen wrote:

>  
>  I would like to object to the image of Fedora merely being "an
>  alternative", especially in the context of being an alternative to
>  Microsoft Windows. If anything, Microsoft Windows is a very sad (or
>  humorous) alternative to Linux. 
Well, the point of describing it that way is the end users don't
necessarily understand the idea of an operating system but most people
would know what Windows is. By describing it as a alternative, you get
the basic idea across. Try explaining to a non technical person, what
Linux is.

Rahul

[Jason Benedict Low]

Rahul Sundaram wrote:
>  Hi
>
>  I helped write what is described in the front page of what Fedora is
>  for. To quote from http://fedoraproject.org
>
>  " Fedora is a Linux-based operating system that showcases the latest in
>  free and open source software. ..."
>
>  While I think what follows after that is still useful, perhaps we can
>  start with something like:
>
>  "Fedora is a free alternative to proprietary operating systems like
>  Microsoft Windows and provides a easy and powerful graphical
>  environment, office suite, games and more. It is a secure and virus-free
>  experience with brand new releases full of major improvements every six
>  months all for free."
>
>  That would be useful for someone new to Linux to understand what this is
>  all about or if we want to be more explicit about the audience
>  (considering
>  http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-May/msg00843.html), we
>  can do:
>
>  "Fedora is very focussed on free software and does not include
>  proprietary or patent encumbered software applications. Fedora is a
>  leading edge operating system with a rapid release cycle and best suited
>  for free software contributors, free and open source enthusiasts"
>
>  Comments?
>
>  Rahul
>
>     
How about highlight a bit on "Fedora is not just another linux Distro 
but a great Community" ? sorry my bad english. Hope you can get what i mean.

-- 
Best Regards,
Jason
Singapore Fedora Ambassador
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Jason_Benedict_Low
VoIP = sip:[e-mail]
------ When i work nobody care. When i rest everybody stare. ------

[Jeroen van Meeuwen]

On 05/15/2009 07:14 AM, Rahul Sundaram wrote:
>  On 05/15/2009 10:36 AM, Jeroen van Meeuwen wrote:
>
> > I would like to object to the image of Fedora merely being "an
> > alternative", especially in the context of being an alternative to
> > Microsoft Windows. If anything, Microsoft Windows is a very sad (or
> > humorous) alternative to Linux.
>
>  Well, the point of describing it that way is the end users don't
>  necessarily understand the idea of an operating system but most people
>  would know what Windows is. By describing it as a alternative, you get
>  the basic idea across. Try explaining to a non technical person, what
>  Linux is.
>  
I hear you. I do not necessarily think the description needing an update 
is wrong, I just wanted to emphasize that positioning Fedora as an 
alternative to Microsoft Windows is the wrong way to go in my opinion.

Most users actually don't know what Windows is either. They just know 
they have Foo here, and thus want Foo there. From that perspective, it's 
almost like the Apple community; once you're hooked, you're hooked, 
whether you know what it is or how it works doesn't matter.

Then there's those that do look a little further and those probably do 
know what an operating system is -although they might not (yet) realize 
that Operating System > Microsoft Windows.

Regardless, previous two paragraphs barely add to the discussion ;-)

I think the Fedora Project is stronger in it's advocacy, then it is in 
user-perspective expectation management. I also think the Fedora Project 
is stronger in it's development edge/focus, thriving Free Software 
innovation by early adoption and being a platform (often? most?) used by 
upstream developers, yada yada, blabla, <insert other things here>, then 
it is in spreading Linux out there.

That being said, of course it doesn't mean we shouldn't attempt to 
improve that situation and what I'm saying is I don't think the angle we 
should take at that is by positioning Fedora as an alternative to 
Microsoft Windows.

Kind regards,

Jeroen van Meeuwen
-kanarip

[Jeroen van Meeuwen]

On 05/15/2009 08:03 AM, Jeroen van Meeuwen wrote:
>  I also think the Fedora Project
>  is stronger in it's development edge/focus, thriving Free Software
>  innovation by early adoption and being a platform (often? most?) used by
>  upstream developers, yada yada, blabla, <insert other things here>, then
>  it is in spreading Linux out there.
>  
Reading this back I may have been a little careless leaving out the fact 
that in spreading Linux we're not entirely doing a bad job, given the 
recent amount of exposure generated with the numbers we could honestly 
come up with ;-) These numbers in fact say we're the greatest in 
spreading Linux, but the question that comes to my mind is;

Do we, or did we, attract these users / achieve this large install-base 
because we keep true to our original cause resulting in a product they 
want to and choose to use, or is it because we market Fedora so well it 
just so happens to be installed on so many machines (although many users 
might actually not care that it's Fedora)?

--Jeroen

[Frank Murphy]

Rahul Sundaram wrote:
>  On 05/15/2009 10:36 AM, Jeroen van Meeuwen wrote:
>  
> > I would like to object to the image of Fedora merely being "an
> > alternative", especially in the context of being an alternative to
> > Microsoft Windows. If anything, Microsoft Windows is a very sad (or
> > humorous) alternative to Linux.
>  
>  Well, the point of describing it that way is the end users don't
>  necessarily understand the idea of an operating system but most people
>  would know what Windows is. By describing it as a alternative, you get
>  the basic idea across. Try explaining to a non technical person, what
>  Linux is.
>  
>  Rahul
>   
I have installed Fedora to "Linux Newbies",
https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-ambassadors-list/2009-April/msg001...

including those that teach ECDL (MS-Office in actuality)
http://www.ecdl.ie/

No problems as yet.

Frank

-- 
msn: frankly3d  skype: frankly3d
Still Learning, Unicode where possible

[Elio Tondo]

Rahul Sundaram wrote:

>  While I think what follows after that is still useful, perhaps we
> can
>  start with something like:
>  
>  "Fedora is a free alternative to proprietary operating systems like
>  Microsoft Windows and [...]
>  
>  Comments? 
Maybe you could just remove the words "like Microsoft Windows"?

Elio

[María Leandro]

Yeah... I read "Microsoft Windows" and is like "Voldemort" for me....
we just CAN'T say his name xD

But the general approach is correct. We need to have a more "friendly"
description of what Fedora and we are, so they can feel attracted for
it at first sight

2009/5/16 Elio Tondo <elio(a)tondo.it&gt;:
>  Rahul Sundaram wrote:
>
> > While I think what follows after that is still useful, perhaps we can
> > start with something like:
> >
> > "Fedora is a free alternative to proprietary operating systems like
> > Microsoft Windows and [...]
> >
> > Comments?
>
>  Maybe you could just remove the words "like Microsoft Windows"?
>
>  Elio
>
>  --
>  Fedora-marketing-list mailing list
>  Fedora-marketing-list(a)redhat.com
>  https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-marketing-list
>  


-- 
tatica
Maria Gracia Leandro
http://www.tatica.org
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http://www.latinux.com
http://www.fedora-ve.org
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/MariaLeandro
LinuxUser= 440285
GPG Public Key: E1CDCC56
"Be yourself... Don't be anyone else"

[Frank Murphy]

Rahul Sundaram wrote:
>  Hi 
>  
>  "Fedora is a free alternative to proprietary operating systems like
>  Microsoft Windows and provides a easy and powerful graphical
>  environment, office suite, games and more. It is a secure and virus-free
>  experience with brand new releases full of major improvements every six
>  months all for free."
>   

Having had a few hours to think, maybe alternative may not be best.

How about;
"Fedora is similar to proprietary operating systems like
  Microsoft Windows and provides an easy and powerful graphical
  environment, office suite, games and more. It is a secure and 
virus-free experience with brand new releases full of major improvements 
every six months all for free (both in terms of cost, and ability to 
change the underlying code to suit your own needs)."

Frank

-- 
msn: frankly3d  skype: frankly3d
Mailing-List Reply to: Mailing-List
Still Learning, Unicode where possible

[Mathieu Bridon]

>  How about;
>  "Fedora is similar to proprietary operating systems like
>   Microsoft Windows and provides an easy and powerful graphical
>   environment, office suite, games and more. It is a secure and virus-free
>  experience with brand new releases full of major improvements every six
>  months all for free (both in terms of cost, and ability to change the
>  underlying code to suit your own needs)." 
Isn't it similar to *BSD too ?

"Fedora is an Operating System, just like Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac
OS X or <insert as many as you want, keeping in mind that too few can
hurt people and too much will bore the reader> ... "

There's one thing that is concerning me.

When I submitted a game package in fedora, I had a description similar
to "this game is in the style of <name of a commercial game>" and I
was told to remove the reference to a commercial trademark not owned
by the Fedora Project as it could cause legal issues.

Aren't we in a similar case by writing this kind of stuff on our wiki page ?

Regards,


----------

Mathieu Bridon (bochecha)

[Rahul Sundaram]

On 05/15/2009 08:30 PM, Mathieu Bridon (bochecha) wrote:

>  When I submitted a game package in fedora, I had a description
> similar
>  to "this game is in the style of <name of a commercial game>" and I
>  was told to remove the reference to a commercial trademark not owned
>  by the Fedora Project as it could cause legal issues.
>  
>  Aren't we in a similar case by writing this kind of stuff on our wiki page ? 
If you have actual legal questions, you should ask them in fedora-legal
list. None of us qualified to really answer that. However, the exact
wording is important. Describing something as a alternative amounts of
fair use in my opinion.

Note, we are not talking about the wiki pages but the home page of
http://fedoraproject.org. Instead of just saying, the wording is not
right, I encourage everyone to think of better ones. What would you put
up, instead? How would you introduce Fedora to a non-technical end user?

Rahul

[Steven Moix]

Hi,

On 05/15/2009 05:00 PM, Mathieu Bridon (bochecha) wrote:
> > How about;
> > "Fedora is similar to proprietary operating systems like
> >   Microsoft Windows and provides an easy and powerful graphical
> >   environment, office suite, games and more. It is a secure and virus-free
> > experience with brand new releases full of major improvements every six
> > months all for free (both in terms of cost, and ability to change the
> > underlying code to suit your own needs)."
>
>  Isn't it similar to *BSD too ?
>
>  "Fedora is an Operating System, just like Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac
>  OS X or<insert as many as you want, keeping in mind that too few can
>  hurt people and too much will bore the reader>  ... "
>
>  There's one thing that is concerning me.
>
>  When I submitted a game package in fedora, I had a description similar
>  to "this game is in the style of<name of a commercial game>" and I
>  was told to remove the reference to a commercial trademark not owned
>  by the Fedora Project as it could cause legal issues.
>
>  Aren't we in a similar case by writing this kind of stuff on our wiki page ? 
IMO we should NOT use comparisons, the moment you start to do this, you 
acknowledge that you are a follower instead of a leader. Fedora is what 
it is, a full OS that you can use for millions of things and this is how 
we should market it.

Steven