06.06.08
Novell Recruits OpenSUSE Boosters
Grossroots versus AstroTurf
When you can’t earn them, lure them in or buy them. This appears to have been Novell’s strategy (if not motto) when it hired Zonker, chief ‘SUSE Booster’, who is now inviting some more SUSE boosters. Here is just a portion from his latest blog item. [via Tux Machines]
Some of the things I’d like the marketing team to address:
* Ensure we publicize community events and meetings to maximize turnout and participation
* Create presentations and materials that can be reused to promote openSUSE
* Create artwork, banners, logos, etc. for openSUSE
* Help organize launch parties, local events, installfests, and talks at LUGs
* Support the openSUSE booth at shows
* Give presentations about openSUSE, the openSUSE Build Service, Linux, and other related topics to interested groupsIn short, I’m looking for openSUSE contributors (and potential contributors) to help publicize community events more effectively, so anyone who’s interested in contributing to openSUSE knows how they can do so and when meetings are being held, etc — and also to help promote openSUSE to the rest of the world, so everyone has a chance to experience Linux.
Microsoft too has some boosters running around (on the payroll even). This includes activities like posting of comments in ZDNet to advocate Silverlight. Maybe Novell and Microsoft are a good match. They might not be so different after all. █
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.
Josh Bell said,
June 6, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Oh please. It’s not like other distros don’t do this either. I realize you don’t like Novell or Suse but this entire site takes seemingly innocent things like promoting a distro and make it into this huge issue where none exists. It’s understandable from your perspective that you would like Novell to go away and die, after all that seems to be this site’s ultimate objective.
DOUGman said,
June 6, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Josh, then why doesn’t Lenovo or any other hardware OEMs, offer on it’s Linux machines other distributions instead of just Suse?
Lenovo just yanked the option to get a ThinkPad with FreeDOS, I was about to purchase one for myself and mentioning it to others. But, now I refuse to and will go elsewhere.
D.
lalala said,
June 6, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Doug, you seem to forget or choose to ignore the fact that Dell sells laptops with ubuntu, which isn’t Suse.
If you want a Thinkpad, then buy one, then download and install FreeDOS.
Roy Schestowitz said,
June 6, 2008 at 9:52 pm
The point is that when you buy a ThinkPad, no matter what you choose, Microsoft is paid.
LinuxIsFun said,
June 7, 2008 at 1:53 am
Does anyone have the full article about Microsoft at WSJ
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121261241035146237.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news
Roy Schestowitz said,
June 7, 2008 at 2:43 am
No luck, not even with Google ( Google cache:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121261241035146237.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news ). That said, I have a full copy on my hard-drive.
Josh Bell said,
June 7, 2008 at 7:53 am
What’s that have to do with my statement? IBM can do what IBM wants. As was commented earlier Dell offers Ubuntu. My point is other distros supposedly more friendly to the FOSS community promote their distros in similar fashion to what Zonker is doing but Novell shouldn’t. Again I understand the point of this site is to let everyone know how bad Novell and Microsoft are in the opinion of those who support this cause.
Roy Bixler said,
June 7, 2008 at 10:58 am
: What’s that have to do with my statement? IBM can do what IBM wants. As was
: commented earlier Dell offers Ubuntu.
It’s Lenovo that sells Thinkpads, no? Anway, you’re correct that the vendor can do what they want but, of course, there may be negative consequences to their choices. From my perspective, the problem is not so much that they offer Suse as an option, but that they have eliminated the option of FreeDOS. It also would have been nice if, like Dell, they offer Ubuntu as an option. In sum, Roy S.’s point stands.
stevetheFLY said,
June 9, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Yeah, yeah; when Ubuntu revs up its marketing by voluntary helpers it’s all yippee and yay, when Novell revs up its marketing by voluntary helpers it’s simply evil? Baaaad Roy! Another poppycock article from you.
Note: comment has been flagged for arriving from a possible incarnation of a known (eet), pseudonymous, forever-nymshifting, abusive Internet troll that posts from open proxies and relays around the world.
Dan O'Brian said,
June 9, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Yea, because I’m sure they had tons of demand for FreeDOS.
</sarcasm>
Roy Bixler said,
June 9, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Dan O’Brian: once again, you completely miss the point. If I ordered a Thinkpad with FreeDOS, it would not be because I actually planned to use FreeDOS as my operating system (except perhaps if I wanted to start from scratch and debug something.) I would promptly overwrite FreeDOS with the distribution of my choice. If I do not choose a Microsoft operating system or a Novell operating system, then why should they earn even one centime off of me?
Roy Schestowitz said,
June 9, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Of of the readers is inquiring with Lenovo and we’ll soon have some answers.
Dan O'Brian said,
June 10, 2008 at 6:13 am
No, I didn’t miss the point at all. I said that I doubted that Lenovo got many requests for laptops preinstalled with FreeDOS - you yourself have just now admitted that you don’t want to run FreeDOS, you just want it so you can install your own choice of OS. While I understand and even sympathize with what you want, you have to understand that Lenovo likely stopped offering it on their website (except perhaps by special request) because nobody was requesting it.
Think of it like this - you are a store owner that sells…. I dunno, bikes maybe. You only have so much room in your shop. If nobody is buying the little red tricycles, you’re going to drop them and put something else there instead - something that is selling. Now if someone comes in and asks for a little red tricycle, you might be able to say “I don’t have any in stock at the moment, but if you are willing to wait - I can put one on order for you.”
Likewise, if you really want a lenovo laptop with FreeDOS, you might be able to special request it.
Roy Bixler said,
June 10, 2008 at 10:56 am
I always thought offering the choice of FreeDOS was really just a way for the OEMs to appease Microsoft. They didn’t like the fact that some OEMs were offering systems without a pre-installed operating system and made the argument that this somehow encouraged piracy. I have noticed that firmware or BIOS upgrade tools often use FreeDOS as their OS, so offering FreeDOS as the pre-installed OS would be the minimal change the OEMs could make to meet Microsoft’s demand and keep customers who wanted to install their own OS happy.
If Lenovo has in fact eliminated the option of “no pre-installed OS” or “FreeDOS”, then that would be a step backwards for me. Likewise, if you need to make a custom order to get “no pre-installed OS” or “FreeDOS”, that would be a step backward because custom orders generally mean that there is a longer wait and a higher price on an item which is otherwise the same. I appreciate that someone is willing to go to the trouble to verify this apparent policy shift with Lenovo and I would be pleased if they report that Lenovo offers a “no OS” or “FreeDOS” option on the same footing as the other options.
Roy Schestowitz said,
June 10, 2008 at 11:14 am
I’ve always found it troubling that Microsoft attacks what it pretentiously calls ‘nakes’ PCs and declares its property (Windows-bound). Need we also stop selling breas because some people might steal butter for it?