[svlug] Prizes at M$ft party

[Don Marti]

On Mon, Nov 09, 1998 at 04:41:07PM -0800, Hans Cathcart wrote:

> Hey, Microsoft is giving away a Compaq Presario 5660 with a 17"
> monitor, to install Linux on (oh, that's my comment), at the WebDev
> party in Palo Alto on Wednesday. I'm planning on attending with a
> big Linux t-shirt. Anyone got any SuSE CDs?

Ja -- I mean yes.  I'll see about some Caldera CDs too.

I'll be showing up with a reporter from the New York Times and Rick
"Local Legend Rick Moen" Moen.

That's right, the New York Times.  The reporter won't be in town for a
nice normal Linux event like an installfest...no...she had to come for
this descend-upon-hapless-Microsoft-like-a-plague-of-locusts thing.

So, please, be there.  And be enterprise-IT-solutions-oriented, calm,
and self-assured.

Here is the point I'll be trying to make. 

  1. Linux developers want interoperability with other operating
  systems to make things easy for the customer, whether that customer
  chooses an all-Linux environment or a mixed environment.  We have
  nothing to fear from open standards, because we offer a good, stable
  OS with an easy upgrade path, and keep customers with quality and
  service, not by locking them in to a proprietary solution.

It's a good idea to decide what point you're trying to make _before_
you get asked questions.

I obviously can't tell other people what to say, but I think the most
effective way to curse Microsoft in the media is with faint praise and
then leading the conversation toward the key advantages of Linux:
quality, configurability, and interoperability.

For those of you who aren't convinced, here's a key tactical reason to
talk positive: If you talk about what Linux offers, the reporter is
more likely to assume Microsoft doesn't have it.  If you bash
Microsoft directly, the reporter will either ignore it or run your
answer by Microsoft first.

One more thing -- say one thing over and over in an interview, not
multiple statements, one of which can get taken out of context.  You
don't have to answer a reporter's questions directly and let the
reporter run the interview.  You can do anything from (minimum) answer
a question briefly and then say what you want to say to (maximum)
compliment the reporter on what a good question it is and then say,
"But the more important issue is [what you really want to say.]"

Be there.  Be prepared to speak with the media.  Be unarmed.  Linux
rules.

-- 
Don Marti                                       Electric Lichen L.L.C.
whois DM683                                 -rwxr--r-- Harrison Street
dmarti at electriclichen.com                San Francisco, California USA

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