Re: SEUL: Is it too soon for me to comment?

[Paul Anderson <paul@geeky1.ebtech.net>]

On Sun, 4 Jan 1998, Erik Walthinsen wrote:

> 
> > With a little luck, SEUL can soon compete with Redhat for new linux users. 
> > The next step is to sink the Bismarck... or maybe just the Titanic.  We
> > can only look ahead, put in some long hours, and hope... :)
> Long hours they be.  Not much longer, however, as I start school tomorrow. :(
> 
IMHO, SEUL has a big problem right now.  It's talk.  Everyone's talking,
but no one's actually DOING anything.  Beyond the creation of a few lists,
we are where we where three months ago.  NOTHING has been done, nor has
ANYTHING actually been sorted out.  NO plans have been made, nothing.  All
we've been doing so far is sitting and nattering away that something
should be done.  Is someone going to do something, or should SEUL just rot
into nothingness?  Don't like something about the configuration or
installation of a program?  Then fix it!  Then, send us a copy of the fix.
Then all these fixes get put together with a bit of glue, and voila!  A
distribution!

Now, an IMPORTANT issue(if not THE most important) is advertising.
Advertisements are EXPENSIVE.  It costs through the nose for a booth at
COMDEX.  Now, what can we do to solve this problem?  I propose we create
the Linux Consortium, devoted to furthering Linux.  And you charge
companies like caldera and RedHat to be members(say $250 a year), and the
funds go toward advertising Linux.  A small newsletter could be
maintained, giving the latest Linux news, etc.  If a good advertising
campaign where set up, Linux as a whole would reap INTENSE benefits.  Sell it
as THE replacement for NT.  NT is buggy, expensive, slow and has HUGE
resource requirements.  Linux is stable, cheap, fast and can be fit in
640k of RAM.(Okay, we're talking REALLY stripped-down system, but hey,
what car company didn't tear the car down in the '70s for testing
mileage?).  We can make the point to companies that they have a choice:
Linux or NT for their network server.  Linux costs them $49, a compareable
NT system would cost over $2,000.  Support and documentation abounds.
Now, what company could pass up a deal like that?  TTYL!


                            ---
                        Paul Anderson
		   paul @ geeky1.ebtech.net
    Author of Star Spek(a tongue in cheek pun on Star trek)
e-mail: starspek-request@lowdown.com with subscribe as the subject
I hear it's hilarious.               Maintainer of the Tips-HOWTO.
          http://www.netcom.com/~tonyh3/speck.html
 Go straight to the docs.  Do not pass GO.  Do not collect $200!