[KLUG Members] Re: Postgresql -- sell a hardware solution ... (2)

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Wed, 2002-02-27 at 10:58, Bryan J. Smith wrote:
> Sell a "complete hardware solution" in "black box" form.  You'll
> increase your profit margin and reduce support calls at the same time
> since _you_ control the components, both hardware and OS/support.  ;-P

At one company, we had one of those "mega-Windows-only bigots."  He
_refused_ to support anything but Microsoft/NT.  He even replaced a
Solaris server with NT, and dorked up the whole network.  It was
_that_bad_!  But it was "_his_ network" and no one could tell him
anything!

Then he opens his Windows NT magazine one day and sees one of those
cool, 250 CD "virtual jukebox" machines for ~$2.5K.  He reads that it is
Windows Networking compatible and web-based administration.  He orders
one.  He gets it.  He installs it.  He loves it!  It _never_ crashes.

One of us UNIX guys come over.  We ask him what it runs, and he says,
"probably Embedded NT, I found the ad in a Windows NT mag."  Being UNIX
guys, we try telnetting to it.  Sure enough, we get in using the default
username/password.  A simple "uname -a" showed it was Linux.

The NT sysadmin almost had a heart attack.  ;-P

My point here is that you don't have to "advertise" it as a Linux
product with a "black box," and Windows people will love it.  And Linux
enthusiasts will look deep enough to find out it is Linux-based anyway.

>    No more software conflicts!
>    Easy installation and, more importantly, upgrades!
>    Far more reliable!
>    100% standards-based protocols!"

Better yet, just put 100% Windows and Windows Networking compatible in
the ad.

Always remember, Linux is a technical platform, Windows is a marketing
platform.  Don't change your technology for Windows, change your
marketing.

Works for a _lot_ of vendors using UNIX-based solutions.

-- Bryan

-- 
MSWord is not even a "proprietary standard."  That would
require it to be fully compatible with itself, let alone
other products from the same vendor (e.g., MSPublisher).
--------------------------------------------------------
Bryan J. Smith, Engineer       mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org
SmithConcepts, Inc.         http://www.SmithConcepts.com