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

Thu Apr 6 21:45:46 UTC 2023

Hi all,

So if i understand correctly, developers are dumb people, talking only to
its computer, and marketer have the privilege to speak to real user...
Well, all the day, i speak to real user, and all say that marketers talk
non sense about Microsoft compatibility...
I wonder how to solve daily cognitive dissonnance
*
<https://context.reverso.net/traduction/anglais-francais/cognitive+dissonance>*
Just kidding

Cheers,
Régis Perdreau

Le jeu. 6 avr. 2023 à 23:00, Gustavo Buzzatti Pacheco <gbpacheco at gmail.com>
a écrit :

> 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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