[libreoffice-marketing] Re: [libreoffice-design] Moving to LibreOffice 8?

Thu Apr 6 21:00:13 UTC 2023

Hi, Nigel, Ben, Eyal, all!

 Let me add some comments. :)

 For sure, the current approach is a requirement for our internal
development organization, as Ben noted. Also, it was really important in
the first years of LibreOffice/TDF, when we used it to demonstrate we were
ahead of Apache OpenOffice for the users and the strong project/community
we were building.

 On the other hand, for the current moment of LibreOffice as a project and
product, I think we can do more or different things. Nigel wrote
exactly what I mean about 'boring' from the user perspective: most of the
users don't care about minor changes.

 So, I think, now, we should decide about releases with a Marketing
perspective and the number 8 could be a first step to do it, even without
big changes.

 Could it mean we will do a marketing trick?

 I think no, because we will be transparent with our users as we always
have been. If the release won't have big improvements, we won't talk about
big improvements.

 Why release a version without big improvements?

 That is the other point: I don't think we should focus only on big code
improvements to use major version numbers (or even version names). We
aren't only a product. We are a project and community. Indeed, the released
product is our final work but a major version can also be used to spread
(or celebrate) the maturity of the product/project/community. This is a
different approach than paid software/non FLOSS. This is what I mean with
consolidation.

On Thu, Apr 6, 2023 at 8:22 AM Nigel Verity <nigelverity at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Gustavo
>
> This is a very good point.
>
> If I see that some software I use regularly has gone from 7.5 to 7.6, say,
> I wouldn't rush to upgrade unless I knew it fixed a problem that affected
> me. I'm pretty sure that I would upgrade from 7.5 to to 8.0 far more
> quickly, if for no other reason that the psychological one of wanting to be
> using what my head tells me must be an improvement over my current version.
>
> Of course release notes are available to determine what really has changed
> but I rather suspect that most users never read them.
>
> The discussion of the different motivators for development and marketing
> people is very interesting. When I was a developer neither I nor anybody in
> my teams was ever let anywhere near sales activities - and I think for very
> good reasons.
>
> Cheers
>
> Nige
>
>
> * LibreOffice - Free and open source office suite: LibreOffice Website
> <https://www.libreoffice.org/> *
> * Respects your privacy, and gives you back control over your data*
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Gustavo Buzzatti Pacheco <gbpacheco at gmail.com>
> *Sent:* 05 April 2023 22:05
> *To:* TDF Devs <libreoffice at lists.freedesktop.org>; TDF Marketing <
> marketing at global.libreoffice.org>; TDF Design <
> design at global.libreoffice.org>
> *Subject:* Re: [libreoffice-marketing] Re: [libreoffice-design] Moving to
> LibreOffice 8?
>
> Hi Eyal, all!
>
>  I also respectfully disagree with you on some points. ;D
>
>  I like the idea to move to 8, even with no big technical innovation (if we
> have, for sure it will be better).
>
>  IMHO, long sequences of minor releases (7.6, in the current case) are
> getting boring and not important for the users (for both enterprise and
> individual profiles).
>
>  I'm not saying that we should embrace the Firefox approach, but thinking
> about Italo's idea (8 <-> infinite), I guess the message of this version
> could be consolidation, not exactly innovation.
>
> Best
> Gustavo
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 28, 2023 at 4:23 AM Eyal Rozenberg <eyalroz1 at gmx.com> wrote:
>
> > I respectfully disagree with Italo.
> >
> > First, about the "frame of reference". In my opinion, decisions such as
> > major version number bumping are not, first and foremost, marketing
> > decisions. That is a _consideration_, since the version number is
> > declarative than technical. But - such an action should be "truthful"
> > before being "marketable".
> >
> > It is more important, in my opinion, that users and potential users
> > receive trustworthy signaling from the project - not just w.r.t. version
> > numbers, but generally - than for the media to get a gimmick for
> coverage.
> >
> > A second point is that bumping a version number without a major
> > innovation moves you a few more steps into the category of, say, Firefox
> > and such, where versions just increase automatically with no meaning
> > whatsoever. Italo, you said we are perceived as a "real innovator";
> > well, when a real innovator starts having hollow version number bumping,
> > that perception fades.
> >
> > Finally, everyone who likes the marketing potential of version 8 -
> > great, but - keep that benefit for when we have a significant step
> > forward to celebrate. Don't squander it.
> >
> >
> > Eyal
> >
> > PS:  availability on a new platform is not a reason to bump a version
> > number. It's the "same" software, but built for another target, so same
> > version as before. IMHO anyway.
> >
> >
> >
> > On 27/03/2023 20:11, Italo Vignoli wrote:
> > > Moving to LibreOffice 8 (instead of 7.6) makes sense for marketing
> > > purposes, as media is looking at LibreOffice as the real innovator in
> > > the open source office suite market, and the feeling of journalists is
> > > that we are forever stuck at 7.x.
> > >
> > > We all know that the next version will not include any significant
> > > innovation which can justify the change of version, apart from the new
> > > build system for Windows and the availability of LibreOffice for Arm
> > > processors on Windows (which has not been announced).
> > >
> > > Playing with the number 8, which can be rotated 90° to become the
> > > "infinite" symbol, we can frame the next version as LibreOffice for an
> > > infinite number of users, as we cover all hardware platforms and all
> > > operating systems for personal productivity.
> > >
> > > This is my opinion. If the community wants to stick with 7.6, I won't
> > > insist. I have received enough insults both public and private for the
> > > marketing plan, and I am still receiving them from a few people, that I
> > > am not willing to enter into that process again (even if the decision
> on
> > > the "community" tag has not been mine, but it looks like people have a
> > > very short memory).
> > >
> > > Looking forward to your thoughts.
> >
> > --
> > To unsubscribe e-mail to: marketing+unsubscribe at global.libreoffice.org
> > Problems?
>
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