Advice To Linux: Kill The Penguin

FRANK J. OHLHORST

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Can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

Linux

To fan those flames, so to speak, I have some additional criticisms about Linux. Right off the bat, if Linux wants to be taken seriously by the business desktop market, it has to first take itself more seriously. What do I mean by that? Basically, kill the penguin and all of the marketing cuteness! Take YAST (which stands for yet another system tool). Sure, it's pretty funny, but the application should just be called something like System Manager. How about licensing terms, like GNU (GNU not Unix)? Yes, it's a crafty acronym, but the meaning is lost on all but hard-core Linux folks. If I want to edit a photo, I would expect to use a photo-editing program. While the name GIMP is cute (it stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program), it doesn't really resonate with business users seeking ease of use.

Products associated with Microsoft may carry more boring monikers, but at least they're descriptive. The device manager is called, surprisingly enough, Device Manager. For the neophyte user, Vista on a business desktop will be easier to navigate because of the common-sense approach Microsoft used to name tasks. Purveyors of Linux that have commercial intentions need to remember that business PCs are tools with names that have gained some common usage acceptance.

The "crafty" names of some Linux applications simply come across as immature to the business world. Now, I am well aware that part of the allure of Linux is the fun factor, but that is going to have to change before most businesses take the OS seriously for the desktop. The same goes for cartoonish animations (remember the hatred surrounding Microsoft's animated paper clip in Office?) and other gimmicks. The time has come for those building business distributions of Linux to make the products less cute and more intuitive. Then, perhaps, businesses will be quicker to adopt Linux.

With my tirade complete, it's time to find my AMTSAC (a method to start a car, sometimes called keys) and make the trip home to enjoy my holiday weekend.

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How does the Linux community feel about marketing? E-mail Test Center Director Frank J. Ohlhorst at fohlhorst @cmp.com.