Re: [libreoffice-marketing] Re: Stable? Seriously?? Fw: [tdf-announce] The Document Foundation announces LibreOffice 3.6.2

Hi :)
Hmmm, sorry Tim but i think the 2 branch model is good.  It lets people get their hands on newer 
features faster.  It helps people see how those new features work when combined with the main 
product and lets testing get done "out in the wild" on real-world machines (not just in virtualised 
models).  

Redhat do it.  Debian does it.  Doubtless others do it.  Nasa does it.  The difference is that they 
are honest about which product is stable and which is the exciting one.  They don't try to claim 
the exciting one is more stable than the stable one.  If people run into problems with the exciting 
one then they know they can go back to the stable one (or put up with it in favour of keeping the 
more exciting stuff).  

Nasa doesn't claim their 2MegaPixel cameras on Mars are better than cameras they are currently 
testing for future missions or even that they are better than cameras that are in common usage here 
on Earth.  Of course my buddy's 12 MegaPixel camera doesn't take such good shots of the surface of 
Mars!  That doesn't mean it's a worse camera!  

So why do we try to claim that our development, feature-packed, latest, hotest, sexiest release is 
really just "stable"?  Can't we find other ways to describe it?  Perhaps words that are more 
accurate?  Perhaps we could say it's "green" because that's equally invalid and irrelevant.
Regards from
Tom :)






> ________________________________
> From: webmaster-Kracked_P_P <webmaster@krackedpress.com>
> To: marketing@global.libreoffice.org 
> Sent: Friday, 5 October 2012, 13:19
> Subject: Re: [libreoffice-marketing] Re: Stable? Seriously?? Fw: [tdf-announce] The Document 
> Foundation announces LibreOffice 3.6.2
>
> On 10/05/2012 06:41 AM, Marc Paré wrote:
> > Hi Charles,
> >
> > Le 2012-10-05 06:32, Charles-H. Schulz a écrit :
> > > Tom,
> > >
> > > Hoping this will be the last time we discuss this on the marketing list,
> > > and so that we can move on to actual marketing topics and work....
> >
> > To be fair to Tom, this is also a recurring topic from others. So, when I have time, if we can 
> > all agree to this, I will put together a wiki page for reference. We can then point to the 
> > appropriate wiki page for reference.
> >
> > How does this sound?
> >
> > This does not mean that I am suggesting that we not discuss it anymore, just that we all get the 
> > facts down on paper so that we can have a more productive discussion on this topic should it 
> > come up again.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Marc
>
> I think a WIKI page would be a great idea.
>
> I like the original idea of the 2 line development approach. Having a line that is "more stable" 
> or "for critical applications" and a new line for "the cutting edge" development is a good idea. 
> The practice of marketing this concept is now happening correctly, or we would not have the 2 line 
> question come up as often as it seems to be.
>
> As I have stated before, I use the 2 line model for my systems and people I work with.  I will use 
> 3.5.6 or 3.5.7 till 3.6.4 or 3.6.5 comes out.  Then I will keep with the 3.6 line till 3.7.4/5 
> comes out.  The development cycle for working out all the issues that comes up with the "cutting" 
> or "bleeding" edge line separate from the line that is more conservative and may be better for the 
> "major" business user IS needed.
>
> The key is we need a better and definitive statement on why LO is doing the 2 line development 
> cycle.  I get why it is being done, but other are having a problem with this development model.  
> Big business companies cannot afford to do such a development cycle. FOSS organizations can.  If I 
> was going to pay my workers to develop a package, I would not do the 2 line model, but with an all 
> volunteer and contributor development is can be done.
>
> So
> Marc, please start the WIKI page describing why LO is in a 2 line development cycle.  I hope after 
> the page is completed there will be less confusion about it and then it also might lead into a 
> better marketing "plan" for marketing the 2 line concept to the users and potential users.
> .
>
>
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