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rays
The Anomaly
(earlier version)
Joined: Sep 23, 2004
Posts: 475
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
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 Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 1:05 am Post subject: A tale of three Mac resellers.... |
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I took a little time on Friday to visit three Mac retailers in the town centre to drop off copies of our flyer about the Pre-Launch event this Friday. The reactions were mixed but all rather encouraging. In each case, I spoke with the manager concerned.
1 fnac (major French retail chain, specialising in technology of all sorts)
All his staff are aware of NeoOffice and some have downloaded it and used it. Almost seemed prepared to mention it to customers but only after all attempts to sell M$ Office and iWork have already failed, naturally.
2 Art Computer (Mac reseller)
Knew of NeoOffice but was not so well informed. Hadn't actually tried it for himself. Believed that it costs around USD 20.- per copy and definitely needed some convincing that it is available at no charge to download. However, I've promised hiom a set of PowerPC and Intel installation CDs, since he cannot manage along to the event himself. I think to have a better informed local shop manager in exchange for a couple of 'promo' CDs is worth it, as he's in a prime location to reach Mac users and potential converts alike.
3 Manor (Department store)
Very well received. The manager uses OOo for Mac (X11) at home and was very interested to learn (!) that NeoOffice doesn't use X11 but has all the functionality of its OpenOffice.org cousins. Will be definitely trying it out for himself. As in fnac, the profit requirement generally precludes the store promoting a free software alternative.
Just thought I'd share these reactions with the crowd here. What was very pleasing was the welcome received and that each was quite prepared to hear what I had to say about the event and - more importantly - NeoOffice itself. It was a good opportunity to dispel some myths and set the record straight vis-a-vis no X11 dependencies!
I would encourage anyone looking for a way to support this project to do something similar and visit a few retailers in your neck of the woods and tell them about the new version, if you have the time. You're not trying to sell them anything so there's no tension. Very satisfying.
If anyone wants copy of the event flyer in its original NeoOffice 2.0 format, which can then be adapted to support such a promo, we would be prepared to release it, under a Creative Commons licence of course! Just PM me for a copy.
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Ray Saunders
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OPENSTEP
The One
Joined: May 25, 2003
Posts: 4752
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you for sharing those tales. In the end, I guess it just illustrates waht we've done all along. We don't try to market aggressively and spread on word of mouth; now three more people are aware and through them more may become aware.
Even in light of the dispersion of knowledge of our existance, a large part of me is still glad we have no organized marketing or PR department. Really, a free software product should speak for itself and for the ideals of its community. I share the following quote from book three chapter eight of "The Zen of Programming":
| The Zen of Programming wrote: |
Thus I have heard:
The worth of a program cannot be judged by the size of its brochures or by the number of full-page ads that appear in popular computer magazines. The louder the noise, the less likely it is that the program will be useful. Truly excellent programs need no advertising; word of mouth is sufficient.
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This book is full of some very eerily salient real-world gems. I highly recommend reading it if for nothing else than some great laughs. It's very very funny, but at the same time is incredibly informative and has many Dilbertesque insights into programming that predate that strip.
ed
PS: Here's an Amazon link to the book I quoted. Please be aware that I have no kind of reseller relationship or clickthrough cr** with Amazon...that link is totally only for the benefit of those who are interested. I'm only trying to point out a book that is both very funny and at the same time very insightful for me and get no personal gain from recommending it. A friend of mind found it abandoned in a vacated office, gave it to me, and I nearly s**t my pants laughing at times  |
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human
Pure-blooded Human
Joined: Jan 04, 2005
Posts: 36
Location: Planet Earth
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 10:52 am Post subject: Re: A tale of three Mac resellers.... |
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| rays wrote: | | As in fnac, the profit requirement generally precludes the store promoting a free software alternative. |
That's actually quite similar to the arguement Sun used when they decided to charge for StarOffice, which had previously been distributed for free by StarDivision. They determined from their market research that the software would be taken more seriously if it were sold for a modest sum than if it were made available for free. |
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LemonAid
The Anomaly
Joined: Nov 21, 2005
Posts: 1285
Location: Witless Protection Program
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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| OPENSTEP wrote: | Even in light of the dispersion of knowledge of our existance, a large part of me is still glad we have no organized marketing or PR department. Really, a free software product should speak for itself and for the ideals of its community. I share the following quote from book three chapter eight of "The Zen of Programming":
| The Zen of Programming wrote: |
Thus I have heard:
The worth of a program cannot be judged by the size of its brochures or by the number of full-page ads that appear in popular computer magazines. The louder the noise, the less likely it is that the program will be useful. Truly excellent programs need no advertising; word of mouth is sufficient.
|
This book is full of some very eerily salient real-world gems. I highly recommend reading it if for nothing else than some great laughs. It's very very funny, but at the same time is incredibly informative and has many Dilbertesque insights into programming that predate that strip.
ed |
How interesting, and Funny.
I have an old copy of The Tao of Programming by Geoffrey James (Pub 1987) that I found in an office many years ago, while I was studing Tai Chi. I too found it full on many gems of ... wisdom.
I strongly recommend it to Programmers/Developers. Funny and often very True!
Philip ( "That was Zen, This is Tao."  ) |
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MacRat
Sake Horner
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 364
Location: Earth
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 10:50 pm Post subject: Re: A tale of three Mac resellers.... |
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| human wrote: | | That's actually quite similar to the arguement Sun used when they decided to charge for StarOffice, which had previously been distributed for free by StarDivision. They determined from their market research that the software would be taken more seriously if it were sold for a modest sum than if it were made available for free. |
Huh?
Sun distributed StarOffice for free.
When did that change? Right after the first round of layoffs.
More like a division trying to prove they can turn a profit to keep from getting cut. |
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jakeOSX
Ninja
Joined: Aug 12, 2003
Posts: 1373
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| Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:03 am Post subject: |
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| star office 6.0 betas were free, but the final was charged for. |
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MacRat
Sake Horner
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 364
Location: Earth
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| Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| jakeOSX wrote: | | star office 6.0 betas were free, but the final was charged for. |
StarOffice 6 final was released after the first round of lay offs and cost cutting that I referred to.
Before that, all the StarOffice 5.x releases were free from Sun.
I think you are under the assumption that 5.x wasn't released by Sun. |
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jakeOSX
Ninja
Joined: Aug 12, 2003
Posts: 1373
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| Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:56 am Post subject: |
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you are right, i thought 5.2 was the last stardivision release...
see? i learn stuff every day. =D |
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sardisson
Town Crier
Joined: Feb 01, 2004
Posts: 4588
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| Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:06 am Post subject: |
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/me remembers downloading the StarOffice 5.x install set over dialup to install on our Sun when it was released for free...and then finding out that MS Office compatibility was pretty crappy and that the UI sucked like 1988....
Neo's come a long way from those roots
Smokey
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"[...] whether the duck drinks hot chocolate or coffee is irrelevant." -- ovvldc and sardisson in the NeoWiki |
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MacRat
Sake Horner
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 364
Location: Earth
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| Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 12:19 pm Post subject: |
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| sardisson wrote: | | /me remembers downloading the StarOffice 5.x install set over dialup to install on our Sun when it was released for free...and then finding out that MS Office compatibility was pretty crappy and that the UI sucked like 1988.... |
Example of why the 5.x codebase was mostly thrown out and the SO 6.x/OOo 1.x codebase was re-written from the ground up. |
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