How to compete against Ubuntu

[Jeremy Hogan]

Ubuntu is not worried about competing with Fedora. That's why we're worried
about competing with them. That is to say, they made it a primary objective
to be attractive to a different user than Fedora is. They went after the
desktop, and wanted to be on OEM laptop preloads, etc. They also made it a
core value to be a warm and inviting community, and their brand reeks of
it--from their name, to their color scheme, to their logo. They're also
getting a lot of steam from not being Red Hat. Not that Red Hat is bad, but
the new kid in class always gets a lot of attention, doesn't he?

I'm more of a "raise the level of the ocean, and all ships rise together"
sort of guy, but in a competitive situation, the only way to "beat" Ubuntu,
is to get where they are heading, and not worry about where they are right
now. For example, Red Hat didn't beat M$ on the desktop, they beat them to
UNIX consolidation in the data center. So "competing" with Ubunutu would
mean Fedora needs to make a sea change in it's core vision--which is
working, so it would be at the expense of where Fedora already has an
advantage or stringer brand than Ubuntu. Do we want that? Would going there
make us weaken our stronger points, and thusly actually help Ubuntu? Are we
willing to install non-free software so that folks who don't understand
what's truly at stake like us more? Is Ubuntu actually proving the power of
Linux by installing Adobe's Flash player? Or are they compromising the
underlying values of F/OSS a little at a time? So what do they stand for,
what would they flatly refuse to do, even if it put them at a competitive
disadvantage? I don't know, but I know where Fedora stands. When Ubuntu
wins, so does proprietary and patent encumbered software.

Where Fedora wins, freedom wins.

We can be a nicer bunch of folks, we can warm up the brand, we can make a
conscious effort to be as warm and inviting as Ubuntu, we can be more viral,
more word of mouth. But we can't become the fresh faced new kid, and we
can't walk away from free as in freedom.

--jeremy
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