mercredi 14 juillet 2004

Ian on Business Models Ian Murdock, Debian founder and Linux industry guru, is starting to push a new idea for Linux distributions. Instead of a top-down product that tries to bring back the lock-in strategies I touched on in an earlier post, Linux vendors should focus on a shared, platform-oriented business model: The Linux distribution industry needs to start looking at Linux in a new and different way--as a platform to be shared rather than as a product to be owned. Linux distributors need business models that better match the fundamental differences that Linux brings to the market in technology, culture and process. They need business models that preserve the magic that has made Linux what it is today. The last sentence really struck me. As Ian says, "Linux is not a product. It is a process." This is the magic of Linux upon which the brand is built. Obviously it is difficult to attract customers using this appeal, and then convince them to get locked into a gated community. In other arenas, this is known as bait-and-switch, and is generally considered a bit slimy. To repeat something I mentioned previously: Know your competitive strength Leverage it Replacing the second bullet with "resist it" seems like an uphill battle. 11:21:40 AM   comment []