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Linux Foundation Asks Who Says "I'm Linux" Best

Posted by timothy on Wed Mar 18, 2009 02:32 PM
from the creepy's-definitely-the-way-to-go dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Everyone has seen Apple's clever 'I'm a Mac' ads, and Microsoft's attempted responses, first with Jerry Seinfeld, and next with 'I'm a PC.' The Linux Foundation tries to fire back with its community-generated 'We're Linux' video contest: all of the eligible videos have now been submitted and are ready to be voted on. Thankfully, the quality of Linux is much higher than the quality of some of these entries: entries range from the hilarious but inappropriate, to the well-made but creepy, to the 'I'm sure it sounded good in your head.' Thankfully, there are one or two that could actually be real commercials."
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[+] "We're Linux" Finalists Announced 133 comments
Last month, we mentioned the Linux Foundation's contest asking people to illustrate the idea "We're Linux"; Now, ruphus13 writes "Over 90 entries were received, and the finalists are now out. From the article, 'The contest was spawned from the idea that other software companies were paying millions of dollars to celebrities for endorsements, while Linux was promoted and shared by enthusiastic, passionate, actual users. Contestants were given a simple directive: tell the Linux Foundation what Linux is for you, why you use it, and why you'd encourage others to do the same. Humor and professional production quality weren't required — it just had to be genuine.' Details on the finalists can be found on the Linux Foundation Video site here."
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  • What ever happened to:
    ahttp://ubergeek.tv/article.php?pid=54
  • by jonnyj (1011131) on Wednesday March 18, @02:37PM (#27245115)
    Great product, shame about the marketing. That's why Canonical / Ubuntu is so important.
  • I am Linux (Score:5, Funny)

    by sunking2 (521698) on Wednesday March 18, @02:39PM (#27245145)
    And apparently I don't serve out web pages any better than IIS.
  • Oops (Score:5, Funny)

    by castorvx (1424163) on Wednesday March 18, @02:39PM (#27245157)
    We're Linux, and our site is down.

    Linux marketing = epic win.
  • Very fitting (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18, @02:39PM (#27245163)
    I find this situation to be a very fitting analogy to the computing world as a whole. Apple does something that gets attention. Microsoft makes their cheap knockoff of it. Then the OSS/Linux guys come along and say "Hey, we can do that, too!"
    • Re:Very fitting (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Duradin (1261418) on Wednesday March 18, @03:21PM (#27245853)

      Actually it be more along the lines of someone suggesting to the Linux guys that they should do something and the Linux guys telling the person "go make the commercial yourself".

  • Reprising his role as Jules from Pulp Fiction:

    Jules: [Jules shoots the man on the couch, who turns out to be Steve Jobs, turns to talk to Bill Gates] I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue, you were saying something about best intentions. What's the matter? Oh, you were finished! Well, allow me to retort. What does Linus Torvalds look like?

    Bill: What?
    Jules: What OS do you run?
    Bill: What? What? Wh - ?
    Jules: "What" ain't no OS I've ever heard of. They have a usable command line in What?
    Bill: What?
    Jules: Usable command line, mother fucker, do you have one?
    Bill: Yes! Yes!
    Jules: Then you know what I'm sayin'!
    Bill: Yes!
    Jules: Describe what Linus Torvalds looks like!
    Bill: What?
    Jules: Say 'what' again. Say 'what' again, I dare you, I double dare you motherfucker, say what one more Goddamn time!

    [end scene, fade out with Linux, Operating System of Bad Mother Fuckers everywhere]

  • What a second... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Antony-Kyre (807195) on Wednesday March 18, @02:41PM (#27245213)

    Aren't linux machines still Personal Computers?

    • by roggg (1184871) on Wednesday March 18, @03:02PM (#27245571)

      Mac: "I'm a Mac."

      Linux: "I'm a PC. Because you see Linux actually runs on PC hardware, so it's a fallacy to refer to only Windoze machines a PCs.

      Mac: "ummm..."

      Linux (standing up, and brushing cheeto dust from beard): "In fact, to be pedantic, Mac's are PCs too in the more general sense of the term since PC stands for personal computer, and Mac's are certainly computers designed for personal use. Really we are all PCs. I really hate how M$ has appropriated that term for it's own platforms when the term is equally applicable to linux machines as well..."

      Mac: "please...kill me now."

      • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18, @03:35PM (#27246105)

        Linux: "And that's another thing. 'kill' is a UNIX command, and as we all know, Macs are UNIX machines underneath (technically BSD UNIX), so, yeah, you could invoke 'kill' once you know your PID. Really, you're not a Mac, you're a UNIX machine, derived via a NextStep machine and tweaked to look like a Mac. You're a prettied-up UNIX-like machine just like me! We're practically brothers!" [Big, kind of scary-looking, cheetoes-laden smile at the end as he tries to hug Mac]

        Mac: [Slowly starts stepping sideways out of the picture]

  • facepalm (Score:5, Insightful)

    by blhack (921171) on Wednesday March 18, @02:45PM (#27245273)

    Isn't part of the point of linux that there isn't a face to it?

    Linux is my mailserver
    Linux runs my mythtv
    Linux runs on my access point
    Linux runs on my sister's laptop.
    Linux runs on our company's DVR.

    Linux is not an operating system for the desktop or for the server, or for the embedded device. Linux is an operating system for EVERYTHING.

    Its like a ball of clay, endless potential and totally at the hands of the artist.

  • by je ne sais quoi (987177) on Wednesday March 18, @02:55PM (#27245427)
    I can't watch the commercials because the site is slashdotted, but here's what I think: Instead of doing the I'm a mac, I'm a PC exchange commercials, they should get Stallman and Torvalds to do the commercial, each one playing "linux". I think it would emphasize the tension the linux community has regarding the priority of freedom:

    Torvalds: "Hello, I'm linux."
    Stallman: "You should really refer to him as GNU/linux, and me too."
    Torvalds: "We reliably operate huge numbers of servers, embedded devices and personal computers and have support for a a huge array of hardware devices."
    Stallman: "But most importantly, we allow you to have the freedom share your ideas with others and be able to use other's ideas enriching all of us simultaneously."
    Torvalds: "...and making big bank."
    Stallman: "uhh, what?"
  • by Bastard of Subhumani (827601) on Wednesday March 18, @03:12PM (#27245729) Journal

    Hi, I'm linux and the load on my server is getting very h

    404 file not found

  • Script (Score:5, Funny)

    by Brandybuck (704397) on Wednesday March 18, @03:36PM (#27246131) Homepage Journal

    [Cut to suburban home basement. Room contains boxspring mattress, cinderblock and plank bookshelf, and cable spool table. On the floor is indoor/outdoor kitchen-print carpet. On the walls are a selection of tattered scifi movie posters, including Natalie Portman in torn jumpsuit poster from Episode II. Glow in the dark stars dot the ceiling, from which dangle several hand painted styrofoam "planets". There is a stack of obsolete game consoles in the corner. Computer in aluminum and plexiglass supertower case with purple lighting is next to table, on which are two unmatched LCD monitors. Pale overweight adolescent enters from stage left. He is wearing black jeans, and black tee-shirt with penguin and wildebeest motif. The hair is short spiked dyed pink, but black roots are prominent.]

    Adolescent: "I am Linux! Ph3&r me!"

    [Cue jingle. Wipe to series logo.]