Re: [libreoffice-marketing] 3.4.2 - "will target enterprise deployments" - is limiting the market?

On 07/04/2011 02:19 PM, Craig Olofson wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 4, 2011 at 6:48 AM, webmaster for Kracked Press Productions<
> webmaster@krackedpress.com>  wrote:
>
> > The LibreOffice download page has the following statement:
> > <quote>
> > Safely for production need by most users - LibreOffice 3.4.2, available at
> > the end of July, will target enterprise deployments.
> > <unquote>
> >
> > ...
> > So the question really is, once 3.4.2 comes out, should I/we start
> > promoting it to businesses or continue promoting the 3.3.x line?
>
> Thanks for bringing this up, Tim.  The best explanation, for us and the
> larger community is the 3.4.1 blog
> announcement<http://blog.documentfoundation.org/2011/07/01/libreoffice-3-4-1-provides-stable-new-features-for-every-user/>by
> Italo.
I have not been reading the blog.  I never really got into blogs, or 
even social network "stuff" like Twitter and the others.

This morning I moved my Ubuntu 10.04 LTS desktop from 3.3.3 to 3.4.1.  I 
will start using it for now.  I may take my Vista laptop back down from 
3.4.1 to 3.3.3 since I would be using it as a demo for businesses.  I 
may place 3.4.1 on the Ubuntu boot of that laptop.  I have it a dual 
boot laptop now.

> Large enterprises deploying LibreOffice on desktop PCs, are still
> > recommended to deploy LibreOffice 3.3.3, which has been tested over several
> > months by thousands of people worldwide, and are encouraged to call on
> > professional support services. LibreOffice 3.4.2, available at the end of
> > July, will target enterprise deployments.
> I think, though, that we need to refine messages such as these further;
> specifically for simplicity and clarity.  The reason I believe this is
> necessary is that enough writers are picking up on the wrong message that we
> should double-check how we are messaging.  Some sample headlines:
>
> LibreOffice 3.4 nears enterprise-ready
> state<http://www.thinq.co.uk/2011/7/1/libreoffice-34-nears-enterprise-ready-state/>
>
> LibreOffice 3.4.1 fixes bugs, still not ready for
> eterprises<http://www.betanews.com/article/LibreOffice-341-fixes-bugs-still-not-ready-for-enterprises/1309528388>
>
> LibreOffice 3.4.1 released, not for enterprises
> yet<http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/LibreOffice-3-4-1-released-not-for-enterprises-yet-1271466.html>
>
> In re-reading the announcement, yet again, it appears to me to be actually
> three announcements:
>
>     - TDF is now using a "time-based" release schedule for LibO
>     - LibO will now have two versions released at all times: early adopter
>     and institutional
>     - Early adopter version 3.4.1 is now available
>
> This might explain some of the muddled interpretations that we are seeing.
> The first announcement is, arguably the biggest.  If I am responsible for
> any institution of any size, it is inarguable:  TDF is now moving to the
> same release model as Ubuntu: Frequent calendar-driven versions,
> interspersed with regular LTS releases.
>
> This is a big message and it really should stand on its own.  (And for any
> of us who've been following the Mozilla Foundation's development cycle
> announcements, this should be a wake-up call.)  What's missing, then, in
> this first announcement is the calendaring for future releases.
Maybe an easy to find, easy to use, link right on that download page 
along with the statements about which version you should download.  Have 
the link there, and people can find the info about the release 
schedule.  Then have a better statement right there describing that the 
3.3.x like is for businesses and 3.4.x is for the people who want to try 
the cutting edge work to make the suite better, but in doing so it is 
not as stable as the 3.3.x line.
> The second announcement is dependent on the first but, still, should stand
> on its own:  One track for the "fast&  furious" and one track for the CIO.
> There's a lot of feature-benefit which can be fleshed out here.
>
> The third&  last announcement is the type which should reinforce the
> previous two:  "Here's the 'cutting edge.'  Here's the brief
> feature-benefit.  As you can see, this release reinforces our dual-release
> strategy and hints at soon-to-come institutional functionality."
>
> If I've misread things, apologies.
>
> Regards,
> -Craig
Now the wonder about which line to use when last issue of the 3.3.x 
line, 3.3.5, comes out in October '11 and the last 3.4.x, 3.4.5, comes 
out in November '11 AND the first of the 3.5.x line comes out in 
February '12 and 3.6.x in August '12.  So on January 2012, which line is 
the one we are to use for what?  Both lines have issued their "final" 
update and bug release so both should be as stable as they can get.  
Will we then feel that 3.4.5 is ready for businesses?  Will 3.5.x be the 
next most-stable version for businesses while 3.6.x line be the "cutting 
edge" version?  I cannot take the 3.3.x "most stable" and 3.4.x "cutting 
edge" titles beyond these two lines in my mind.  How will it be done?

Will we tell the businesses that they have to wait for 6 months to a 
year after 3.3.5 comes out before 3.5.x or 3.6.x is ready for their use?

This needs to be thought out before the questions are asked by business 
users.

The press messages listed above will be happening all over again and 
even worse when the current 2 lines are at their end.




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