[GRASSLIST:4447] Re: marketing

[Bernhard Reiter]

On Fri, Oct 01, 2004 at 10:34:49AM +0200, Paolo Cavallini wrote:
> I believe GRASS is a fundamental piece of software for many organization.
> What we mainly need is stabilization, and especially marketing. What I have 
> found is that most potentially interested people do not even know of GRASS, 
> and of those who know, most think to 5.0, with very limited vector support, 
> etc.

Yes, the word about GRASS has to go out to the world.
There have been a couple of initiatives by the German GRASS User Association.
Intevation and FreeGIS also tried to get GRASS into many channels.

> I have therefore been interested by the marketing initiative for OpenOffice:
> http://marketing.openoffice.org/

It is very interesting to read the LWN assessment
of the paper marketing plan that has been published before the conference.
(http://lwn.net/Articles/104125/  subscriber-only content until Thursday.)

Quote:
	OpenOffice.org has to step carefully around its patron.

	the plan gives valuable insights into an important free
	software project which is at a sort of turning point. It indicates
	that the project intends to concentrate on "selling" OpenOffice.org
	to vast numbers of users rather than on engagement with the free
	software community. More OpenOffice.org users can only be a good
	thing; one can only wish the project luck in achieving its goals.
	
> Would someone have the skills (background in businness/economics, perhaps) to 
> set up such a project for GRASS? I can collaborate to it, if necessary.

Any more marketing efforts for GRASS would be great.
The problem I see is that Sun is behind OO and puts in most of the people.
GRASS would need to take the step towards more 
commercial (Free Software) deployment.
Intevation tries to sell GRASS since a few years now 
and I believe it to be difficult. 
Without those sales there will not be much hard effort behind 
large scale marketing.

(Before someone jumps on this: In my experience using a Free
Software license with strong protection works in favour of the long
term adoption of GRASS.)

Bernhard
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