Re: Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario

[Rob Landley <rob@landley.net>]

On Tuesday 06 December 2005 09:17, Pavel Machek wrote:
> Actually, yes it does cost them. If you refuse to buy $2000 notebook,
> because its 3D graphics card ($100) is not supported properly... well
> notebook vendor is going to put pressure on graphics card vendor.

One thing about understanding large companies: if they can't measure it, it 
doesn't exist.

And yes, this sometimes leads to really stupid behavior.  I remember an old 
businessweek article from 1998 about how Pizza Hut responded to the 
encroachment of Papa Johns by measuring salami slices with a micrometer and 
timing how long it took the sauce to flow down an incline.  The fundamental 
problem was, a large chunk of their customer base preferred the other guy's 
pizza, but they couldn't _measure_ that.  Responding to concerns about 
aesthetics and usability by focusing on "six nines" of reliability is a 
common mistake.  Because it's easy to _measure_.  The squeaky wheel, and all 
that...

So if they don't know _why_ you refused to buy the $2000 notebook (and telling 
a salesbeing with no way to propogate it up the chain of command doesn't 
help), then it doesn't mean anything to them.  For all they know you didn't 
like the color, the CPU fan was too loud, the battery didn't last long 
enough, the touchpad was uncomfortable...

Yes, you can write letters to them to inform them of your concerns.  But what 
they care about is money, and correlating your concerns to aggregate sales 
figures is hand waving at best.

> And you don't have to be Linux user to refuse closed hardware. Having
> option in future is always good.x

If Linux desktop users are less than 5% of the laptop buying population, a 
more effective technique would be to focus purchases on small companies that 
_do_ provide things we can use.  Trimming $25 million off of a $1 billion 
market niche is a lot less noticeable than creating and sustaining a new $25 
million market niche.  (That's something that's easy to measure.  Here's $x 
dollars that could go to us, but doesn't.)

Of course getting a $1 billion company excited over a $25 million niche...  
You might want to read "the innovator's dilemma", by clayton christensen.  
_Marvelous_ book...

>         Pavel

Rob
-- 
Steve Ballmer: Innovation!  Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word.
I do not think it means what you think it means.