[PLUG-TALK] [PLUG] Linux Marketing Opportunity

[GLL]

: But, since Mark tied Linux into the issue, it isn't "wildly off-topic".
: Last time I looked the list was billed as being for "General Linux
: discussion and assistance". If Mark has specific ideas regarding how this
: issue can be used to increase the Linux user-base, then it is on-topic.
:
: Whether you like his politics or not is irrelevant.
: _______________________________________________

I don't think it's a good idea to align the MS-vs-open-source struggle with 
the struggles of an active minority attempting to promulgate general 
acceptance of their world views within the greater community (I am trying to 
use one single phrase here which EQUALLY describes the oppression of one sort 
that gays encounter in society and the oppression of different sort that 
certain religious people encounter - try wishing a colleague 'Merry 
Christmas,' in those very words, at a place like Intel...)

If you tie a brand name (or an OS) to 'being gay' or 'being friendly to gays' 
you will merely shift your base, but not necessarily increase it. You will 
likely just bring in some folks but you will also alienate certain other 
folks with other personal belief systems (that have -nothing- to do with how 
a computer works) and who still might benefit from what you have to share. 

There are bunches of people out there who are saying 'Gee, I never knew I 
wasn't supposed to drive a Subaru,' or 'I used to buy Hormel but I've had to 
switch to Gallo for deli meats,' or 'Oh no, I really -liked- Tequiza,' or 
'Drat, now the only jeans I can buy are Wranglers,' in the aftermath of 
certain ad campaigns.

So, as a captain of a large industry that serves a HUGE diversity of people 
your best bet is to see how your product can serves as large a base as 
possible. Same goes for the huge open-source community. What if you had a 
user group meeting and someone showed up who you would reasonably guess (by 
the bumper stickers on the car) is a white supremacist? Do you say, 'Linux is 
-not- for you?' Or do you say Linux is neat, Linux is fun and free, but all 
of us generally know how to keep our political and religious discussions out 
in the parking lot, because none of that has much relevance to what we are 
here to learn and share.**

(Otherwise, you fracture the userbase, and what if this guy goes off and 
develops KKK-D-E? Then we get more interoperability problems and who knows 
what else.)

Oh well. And please, for all of the above examples, I mean no personal affront 
or offense to anyone. I am just trying to dream up examples for discussion.

- GLL

**Counter-example: Some people may need to invoke a religious concept to 
establish moral right and wrong and prevent them from stealing a computer at 
a user group meeting, in other words they may need to keep some part of their 
religious kernal INTERNALLY operative in order to play nice with others, 
share, and behave politely in socially mixed situations.

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