Re: What is GNOME and Getting some real data on users

[Sriram Ramkrishna <sri aracnet com>]

Yeah, that would be really sweet if you could work on art type
things.  I've been trying to recruit my brother but he doesn't
"get it" yet.  If I can get him to start using Ubuntu I might have
some chance to get him to do some art. 

So the more artists the better.  

sri


On Sat, Feb 12, 2005 at 08:51:32PM -0600, Richard Hoelscher wrote:
> On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 02:21:27 +0100, Claus Schwarm <c schwarm gmx net> wrote:
> > I just read an interview with Matthias Ettrich, KDE founder and Qt
> > developer, see [1]. He said:
> > 
> > "A typical GNOME user seems to avoid KDE applications as the devil
> > avoids holy water. Vice versa, a typical KDE user tends to avoid Gtk+ or
> > Gnome-based applications. This creates unhealthy pressure to clone any
> > good idea that shows up in one camp, which in turns creates lesser
> > friendly feelings towards each other."
> 
> The interview is
> http://www.fosdem.org/index/interviews/interviews_ettrich , and in the
> paragraph that this quote came from, Matthias Ettrich was talking
> about user camps... he clearly stated that this rift really isn't a
> big issue among developers.
> 
> Why does it exist? For better or worse, many users will associate the
> tech they use with their identity, and ego is a powerful thing... Just
> look at your average iPod user. While it is natural that some people
> will feel strongly about one platform over another, trying to harness
> all of that power for good would be as tough as hearding cats.
> 
> I'd also submit the tech rift isn't large. "Beauty, Confusion,
> Efforts, and Resources" highlight inconviences that could be overcome,
> and are hardly showstoppers for either platform or their apps... The
> problem is that IT press is quick to highlight them as talking points
> for lack of anything better, and die-hard fans are quick to adopt
> them.
> 
> > ...
> > IMHO, higher consistency would make Linux on the desktop more likely, so
> > answers on these questions are very relevant.
> 
> I don't think consistency requires much marketing focus, as the users
> that benefit are almost in a niche... Either GNOME or KDE on their own
> may be more than capable of serving basic needs for many people,
> everything from web browsing to solitaire.
> 
> Going back to John's questions... I'd like to see energy go to target
> markets that have not yet been exposed to either KDE or GNOME. For
> example, much of the IT market outside of America has been living
> under a very real and damaging culture of software piracy. After
> people have rationalized piracy of foreign software (yes, you know
> what I'm talking about...), then they are a hop, skip and jump away
> from doing the same to domestic software, music, and movies. There are
> efforts to turn back the clock underway, exhibit A being software
> patent efforts in Europe.
> 
> Having GNOME as an option means that vulnerable IT departments can
> ethically deploy desktop software without the same track record of
> vulnerability and usability of software that came before, and at an
> affordable price. It's just one of many openings that "just works".
> 
> BTW, sorry... I signed up to the list so I could work on art and media
> rather than ramble on about these subjects... :)
> 
> -Richard Hoelscher
> http://rahga.com/svg/
> -- 
> marketing-list mailing list
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