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."
A real open standard? As in, free for all to implement, without any encumberance?
Also, I have never gotten Gnash to really work. Newer versions at least get to the point where they do something on YouTube, but they eat 100% CPU and I get nowhere near a usable framerate. Not to knock the hard work of the developers, but Flash is nowhere near a universally usable standard.
I like them all except for the fourth one, "Challenges At The Office", it made me cringe.
The first one is okay, "The Future is Open", except in the beginning the Windows screen is fine but the Linux screen is flickering.
I like the second one, "The Origin...", but it might be a bit too abstract. Unless you already know what Linux is you're not going to know what the commercial is about. I think it is pretty cool, but some might find it too serious.
And the last one, "Linux pub", is funny. That might be
"The Future is Open" and "Linux pub" were my favorites.
My only concern with "Linux pub" is that it made it seem like Linux is some kind of Windows-fixing program, or something to help you repair your computer. I like the overall concept, though, and the penguin is great. Well-written, decently acted.
Both (but especially "The Future is Open") would need to be re-shot before use on TV, as they're a bit rough.
I for one, like the one named "What does it mean to be free?".
I agree, it's excellent. It doesn't try to be clever, but ends up being that anyway. And I can watch it several times without getting annoyed! Always a good feature of any commercial. About the others..
"Future.." is pretty good, perhaps a bit cheesy.
"Challenges.." needs better editing and acting
"The origins.." is creepy as hell, but pretty good. It would be excellent with a less shodan-like voice. Maybe that's just my own traumas speaking?
This one creeped me out. At first it was saying that Linux is like a virulent microbe. Then at various stages I was reminded of the Borg, and Kerrigan, Queen of the Zerg. The "it's everywhere" part reminded me of the red scare.
I love using Linux, but this has me ready to install Win95 over it and hide in my house with the shades drawn and the lights off.
It's my understanding that the winner won't be put on television in any way. How is this going to reach anyone besides people that are already interested in Linux? Point being- people that are *already* interested in Linux will probably try it anyway. This is just a feel good about ourselves project but I guess it's a fun one though.
They wanted "over 9000" but unfortunately didn't come close to that number.
Though I don't see what's wrong with saying "over 90." It implies somewhere greater than 90 and less than 100. If they said "exactly 94" then we would be arguing over why they said such a specific number in this context.
Folks in advertisements on television say that all the time. It basically says, "do not believe what you are hearing," or "we will not be held legally responsible for this figure."
So I guess those Linux Foundation Folks were trying to make a joke about 1970's Ronco UHF TV channel ads. Of course they got "much, much more" than 90. "And there's still more . . . if your order now . . . "
"The future is open" video positions Linux in relation to Windows. I think it's time to move beyond this.
There was time when some people saw Linux as a reaction to how bad and how evil Windows was.
That was a long time ago. In the mean time Microsoft has become much less powerful, and Apple has shown us that there can be something even worse then MS (in terms of Linux values, that is).
Linux is about freedom and community and [fill in the blank]. It is not just the anti-windows.
Do you guys even realise that there's no such product as Linux? Saying "Get Linux" is like saying "Got Milk?", except that anyone knows where to get milk. Where does my mom buy that "Linux" thing? Or is she supposed to find out what Linux is and figure out which distro is good for her?
I'm thinking that the bigger thing standing in the way of that is an open operating system. The fact that anything outside their code might be modified has ramifications for both anti-cheating measures and the bigger profitability hit: DRM. How happy do you think the publishers would be if someone worked around their "protections" by denying the DRM specific system level calls?
I'm not denying that. What you are saying is that a game studio should go to their publisher and push for porting to another platform that has around 1% market share of desktop operating system. That platform is also an OS that makes it even easier to defeat DRM schemes. All of that because people work to crack software on a more difficult platform to crack?
What you are saying is that a game studio should go to their publisher and push for porting to another platform that has around 1% market share of desktop operating system.
Whoa now, I never said they should port games to Linux. I'd love it if they would, as it's the only thing I use Windows for and dual-booting sucks, but it's probably a poor business decision for most companies.
I just said that there won't be any significant difference in the ease of piracy on either platform.
Because if your doing it write, it doesn't take much work to port it. DRM is a lost cause, but anti-cheating tools ONLY work if you don't trust the operating system, if you want to make it hard to cheat on a game, you could require signed openGL stacks for the game to run, that stops 90% of the aimbots and wallhacks out there. Sure you lose out on Gentoo users and its not full proof but no anti cheat method ever is.
A game can generally be run inside a debugger or inside a virtualized Windows instance. DRM and anti-cheating measures might be part of the equation, but I'd bet that part is very small compared to the parts played by market share and DirectX.
I don't see it as a desperate need. I like games, but am happy playing console games. And in one way, I appreciate console games even more -- they are cheaper and when you play against others, you can bet that they are using the same hardware configuration and that if they have any advantages, it's not the computer they are using.
My problem is similar, namely specific software apps I depend on or really like. GOM, Photoshop, Vegas, Premiere, Indesign, etc.--all are non-negotiable. Most of them don't work under WINE, and their OSS equivalents are jokes.:-(
If you mean that most game companies prefer DirectX to OpenGL or SDL for developing games and Microsoft developed DirectX (or bought someone who did and makes updates to it -- I don't recall), then yes, Microsoft plays a very big part in that.
MS does some nasty things and I don't care for them as a company, but some credit for what they do right wouldn't kill you.
The only thing stopping me from going Linux are the viruses. We desperately need the virus industry to start porting the viruses. I honestly believe that is the only thing really standing in the way.
What are the odds that MS is somehow involved in that?
I just want to feel like I'm a part of the botnet crowd! I wanna fit in!
Whao! "...filthey chutney ferret..."
Damn. That made me almost breath my coffee!
I'd tell you to keep up the good work, but who knows what you'd read into that?
Blog to a Blog to nowhere. (Score:5, Informative)
Here are the relevant links from the real source.
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-media/blogs/browse/2009/04/announcing-%E2%80%9Cwe%E2%80%99re-linux%E2%80%9D-video-contest-finalists [linuxfoundation.org]
The five finalists are:
The Future is Open
http://video.linuxfoundation.org/video/1271 [linuxfoundation.org]
The Origin...
http://video.linuxfoundation.org/video/1262 [linuxfoundation.org]
Linux AD - What does it mean to be free?
http://video.linuxfoundation.org/video/1106 [linuxfoundation.org]
Challenges At The Office
http://video.linuxfoundation.org/video/1261 [linuxfoundation.org]
Linux pub (one video without subtitles, one with)
http://video.linuxfoundation.org/video/1057 [linuxfoundation.org]
http://video.linuxfoundation.org/video/1154 [linuxfoundation.org]
Re:Blog to a Blog to nowhere. (Score:5, Funny)
On youtube... using FLASH? Isn't this some sort of abomination against FOSS and the Linux Ideals?
A real "We're Linux" contest would have only released Ogg videos.
Parent
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Re:Blog to a Blog to nowhere. (Score:5, Informative)
See gnash [gnu.org]. Flash is actually an open standard.
Parent
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``Flash is actually an open standard.''
A real open standard? As in, free for all to implement, without any encumberance?
Also, I have never gotten Gnash to really work. Newer versions at least get to the point where they do something on YouTube, but they eat 100% CPU and I get nowhere near a usable framerate. Not to knock the hard work of the developers, but Flash is nowhere near a universally usable standard.
Re:Blog to a Blog to nowhere. (Score:5, Informative)
And FYI, even though their site is down, ALL the videos are hosted on YouTube (and just embedded).
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLinuxFoundation [youtube.com]
Parent
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I like them all except for the fourth one, "Challenges At The Office", it made me cringe.
The first one is okay, "The Future is Open", except in the beginning the Windows screen is fine but the Linux screen is flickering.
I like the second one, "The Origin...", but it might be a bit too abstract. Unless you already know what Linux is you're not going to know what the commercial is about. I think it is pretty cool, but some might find it too serious.
And the last one, "Linux pub", is funny. That might be
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"The Future is Open" and "Linux pub" were my favorites.
My only concern with "Linux pub" is that it made it seem like Linux is some kind of Windows-fixing program, or something to help you repair your computer. I like the overall concept, though, and the penguin is great. Well-written, decently acted.
Both (but especially "The Future is Open") would need to be re-shot before use on TV, as they're a bit rough.
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I for one, like the one named "What does it mean to be free?".
I agree, it's excellent. It doesn't try to be clever, but ends up being that anyway. And I can watch it several times without getting annoyed! Always a good feature of any commercial.
About the others..
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Re:Blog to a Blog to nowhere. (Score:4, Informative)
A more direct route. ;)
The Future is Open
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwNQPairZEM [youtube.com]
The Origin...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1GYHQhqtbU [youtube.com]
Linux AD - What does it mean to be free?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWEIQIv8zvY [youtube.com]
Challenges At The Office
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwmfyeHBFlM [youtube.com]
Linux pub (one video without subtitles, one with)
English Subs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xceiMJSunIg [youtube.com]
No Subs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svaHnha-PXs [youtube.com]
Parent
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Oh boy... 1 and 2 are great (2 is somewhat weird). 3 is so-so. 4 and 5 are embarrassingly bad.
If these are the best 5, we need a good agency. Desperately.
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This one creeped me out. At first it was saying that Linux is like a virulent microbe. Then at various stages I was reminded of the Borg, and Kerrigan, Queen of the Zerg. The "it's everywhere" part reminded me of the red scare.
I love using Linux, but this has me ready to install Win95 over it and hide in my house with the shades drawn and the lights off.
Who is going to see these? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Who is going to see these? (Score:4, Insightful)
If any are particularly dorky, they may end up going viral like the Star Wars kid.
Parent
Re:Who is going to see these? (Score:4, Insightful)
If any are particularly dorky, they may end up going viral like the Star Wars kid.
Yes, but we don't want that.
Parent
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(Warning: Link is not really work-safe)
They could borrow the unofficial Ubuntu Girls [maisonbisson.com]. >;)
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Now that's a logo I would like to get into! The cutey in the center could even sit on my lap.
I second the vote for the unofficial Ubuntu Girls!
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Well, unless you can get some semi-nude cheerleaders to appear in a Linux video, then I think your options are limited.
I don't think that will get more women to use Linux. I don't think dorky guys will either. We need something that has broad appeal.
I think the kids in the Microsoft commercial had that.
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Who other than geeks knows about the Star Wars kid?
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It's my understanding that the winner won't be put on television in any way.
Perhaps some LUGs could pool some money together and get them played on cable. I hear cable advertising is cheap.
Over 90? (Score:4, Interesting)
How many is "over 90?" 91? 839,723,435? What?
I can understand why people put "over 34,000,000" because the exact number might not be known or would take too long to say, but "over 90?" Really?
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They wanted "over 9000" but unfortunately didn't come close to that number.
Though I don't see what's wrong with saying "over 90." It implies somewhere greater than 90 and less than 100. If they said "exactly 94" then we would be arguing over why they said such a specific number in this context.
Re:Over 90? == "Savings of up to 90%, and more!" (Score:2)
Folks in advertisements on television say that all the time. It basically says, "do not believe what you are hearing," or "we will not be held legally responsible for this figure."
So I guess those Linux Foundation Folks were trying to make a joke about 1970's Ronco UHF TV channel ads. Of course they got "much, much more" than 90. "And there's still more . . . if your order now . . . "
I got it; didn't you?
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He should have said, "We had tens of entries."
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He should have said, "We had tens of entries."
Nah, "We've had scores of entries"...
Sounds better than "tens" or "dozens" 'cause people aren't as used to it...
Slashdotted (Score:3, Informative)
Slashdotted. Use Coral Cache [nyud.net].
Finalists (Score:3, Funny)
Sorry for the pun.
Hm... (Score:2)
About "the future is open" video - thumbs down (Score:2, Interesting)
"The future is open" video positions Linux in relation to Windows. I think it's time to move beyond this.
There was time when some people saw Linux as a reaction to how bad and how evil Windows was.
That was a long time ago. In the mean time Microsoft has become much less powerful, and Apple has shown us that there can be something even worse then MS (in terms of Linux values, that is).
Linux is about freedom and community and [fill in the blank]. It is not just the anti-windows.
I vote against "the future i
WTF is Linux? (Score:4, Insightful)
Do you guys even realise that there's no such product as Linux? Saying "Get Linux" is like saying "Got Milk?", except that anyone knows where to get milk. Where does my mom buy that "Linux" thing? Or is she supposed to find out what Linux is and figure out which distro is good for her?
Market an actual product for fuck's sake!
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Are there any DRM'd programs on Windows that haven't been cracked despite the closed nature of the platform? Any that are remotely popular, I mean.
There are even ways around Steam's protection.
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Whoa now, I never said they should port games to Linux. I'd love it if they would, as it's the only thing I use Windows for and dual-booting sucks, but it's probably a poor business decision for most companies.
I just said that there won't be any significant difference in the ease of piracy on either platform.
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Because if your doing it write, it doesn't take much work to port it. DRM is a lost cause, but anti-cheating tools ONLY work if you don't trust the operating system, if you want to make it hard to cheat on a game, you could require signed openGL stacks for the game to run, that stops 90% of the aimbots and wallhacks out there. Sure you lose out on Gentoo users and its not full proof but no anti cheat method ever is.
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A game can generally be run inside a debugger or inside a virtualized Windows instance. DRM and anti-cheating measures might be part of the equation, but I'd bet that part is very small compared to the parts played by market share and DirectX.
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I don't see it as a desperate need. I like games, but am happy playing console games. And in one way, I appreciate console games even more -- they are cheaper and when you play against others, you can bet that they are using the same hardware configuration and that if they have any advantages, it's not the computer they are using.
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The console units... not the games themselves. I guess I should have been more clear.
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If you mean that most game companies prefer DirectX to OpenGL or SDL for developing games and Microsoft developed DirectX (or bought someone who did and makes updates to it -- I don't recall), then yes, Microsoft plays a very big part in that.
MS does some nasty things and I don't care for them as a company, but some credit for what they do right wouldn't kill you.
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What are the odds that MS is somehow involved in that?
I just want to feel like I'm a part of the botnet crowd! I wanna fit in!
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No joke. When I first asked for a Linux desktop one of the reasons given by the security team was that there were no virus scanners for Linux viruses.
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Just point out Clam AV to them. Hell, it's in most distro repositories.
But at this point, AV scanners for *nix are about as useful as a boat anchor for an airplane, so there is a reason not many exist for *nix.
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Hahaha, so true.
I liked the actors. I knew what was coming at the end, but the delivery of the "il n'y a pas" line still made me chuckle.
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Oh please no.
If these are the top 5, I want no non-Linuxer to ever see all of them. #1 and #2, perhaps #3. We are in serious risk of a Songsmith situation.