Re: [libreoffice-marketing] "Microsoft posts video of customers criticizing OpenOffice"

On Wed Oct 13 2010 17:19:55 GMT-0700 (PDT)  Marc Paré wrote:
> No better time than now. We should make sure that the user support links 
> on our webpages are clearly well placed and visible. How about reviewing 
> this right now? Let's take a look at where the links are and if they 
> need new placement, let's do it now.

I will have to leave that to the experts.  Even with the "Support" tab 
on the OOo site it is hard to find stuff, especially when you do not 
know what your looking for.  To me that is the problem with _any_ web 
based system.  If you know what your looking for then "Google is your 
best friend", if not all you can do is follow each path to see if it 
helps.  I hate automated phone systems for that reason.

> We should use this video to analyse the main complaint -- support and 
> show how wrong it is.

That is the point, it may not be wrong.  Not everyone that uses a 
computer has the will to lean when for years all they had to do was 
pickup a phone.

> We should all be on the user support mailist (yes I am on it) to assure 
> quality and familiar support to users. Nothing better than a familiar face.

I have been on the OOo Discuss and Users list for well over a year.  I 
have in the past few weeks started scanning the forums, OOo and 
OOOForum.  As soon as LibO user, discuss list were announced I joined 
them.  I also scan the LibO form even though not much is there at the 
present time.

> We will also need something similar to "corporate support" (maybe set 
> this up in the very near future) with help with devs who could trouble 
> shoot networked installs of LibO distro. Again, here, familiar faces 
> count for a lot.

I would be interesting to find out how much business is generated by the 
OOo support links.

> I have been part of many school board It committees examining the use 
> OpenOffice installs and this is one of the main reasons/complaints 
> behind not adopting the distro. For some reason the view is that the 
> OpenOffice support is inferior to anything else, even if the help 
> tickets going to MS Office product lines take 2-3 days to get back to 
> you -- not only that, but this poor support is actually paid support.

It may not be inferior but it is not what they are use to.  Again 
picking up a phone means they do not have to think.

> I happen to think/know that the Ooo user support online is one of the 
> best support services anywhere. Very few support systems free or paid 
> can come close to it. We just advertise this and make good on it.
>
> Support will sell the concept.

How many Open Source programs have 24hr phone support, even paid?

Other things that the video brought up was the lack of compatibility 
with MSO, which is not the fault of Open Source but MS's.  Until there 
is a demand from users that MS products comply with the ISO requirements 
there will never be 100% compatibility, anyone that come close would be 
sued by MS for copyright infringement.



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