Let's update FreeBSD vs Linux vs Windows XP

Marc Fonvieille blackend at freebsd.org
Tue Jun 28 14:42:27 GMT 2005


On Mon, Jun 27, 2005 at 10:08:26AM -0700, Johnson David wrote:
> From: Marc Fonvieille [mailto:blackend at freebsd.org]
> >
> > I thought you wanted to update the content...
> > and if it's for "newcomers" marketing/os-comparison.html
> > will be too  much technical for them.
> 
> Newcomers != technically illiterate
>

It's your definition of "newcomer", it's now obvious there are many sort
of "newcomer".  Just have a look at freebsd-questions@ for example.

> If it's a straight comparison, then it needs to have technical information.
> Imagine taking a Honda Civic brochure and a Toyota Corolla brochure,
> removing all technical facts such as horsepower and mileage, and then
> comparing them only on the marketing verbiage. You cannot do it and have it
> makes sense.
> 

Hmm, well do you really think the "girl next door" cares about the
torque of her car?  The only thing most of people look at are the car
look, the price, how many oil it "eats", the size...
These things are not technical, but "understandable by everyone", the
same things are developed in ads.
Most of people do not understand what is the horsepower, they will just
note that one number is bigger than another etc., but since most of time
the "size" (or type) of the car (it's the case in Europe, I dunno in US)
is proportional to the horsepower...

> Marketing to newcomers doesn't mean hiding away the technical details.
> That's what the EZLinux distros do, and we're better than that. Don't hide
> the gnarly greasy details. If they scare away a few newbies, they wouldn't
> have been happy here anyway. But those that they don't scare away should be
> welcomed.
> 

So according to you, "newbies" and people totally "OS ignorant" do not
have to use FreeBSD :)

To sum up, there must exist many advocacy papers:

1st: a general paper (single sheet should be perfect, "too much
information kill the information") aimed at general audience
2nd: a more technical paper for people with more background looking for
more details.

Perhaps the OS comparaison can be (a part of) the 2nd paper.
One must decide what is the audience of a paper before writting it.

In all cases, the most important thing of a paper is not to be a "flood
of informations" but something that gives the reader (both OS expert and
ignorant persons) the will to install and give a try to FreeBSD.

Back to the http://www.freebsd.org/marketing/os-comparison.html
document, I'm waiting for updates via PRs and I will take care of the
integration of changes (of course if there are correct, etc.).

Marc
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