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August 18, 2005

Gateway recommends Ubuntu

You know you're in trouble when you have to do marketing tricks like Gateway recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional. What else could Gateway (or Dell|HP) recommend? Gateway recommends Ubuntu Linux? Linux folks need to come up with a good name that'll stick. But anyhow, MSFT wasn't the only one that used this marketing tactic.

I wasn't around then but I think it was Mike Homer who started the "Best Viewed in Netscape" campaign. It was a defensive marketing tactic and when you're on the defensive, you're not in a good position.

We don't recommend that folks do "best viewed in Firefox". However, we do recommend specifying system requirements, and it's ok to say you've tested/certified your web site or application to work in Firefox.

So when you see Gateway|Dell|HP "recommending" MSFT, give it some time because that recommendation is only there because of some silly marketing line item in some long contract.

Posted by rebron at August 18, 2005 09:49 PM

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