SPECIAL ALERT!!
Your Opinion is Urgently Needed
Can TUX Magazine be Resurrected?
Your Opinion is Urgently Needed
Can TUX Magazine be Resurrected?
Do you remember the first time you used Linux? Perhaps you got in during the early years when there was very little in the way of support and manufacturers refused to pay attention to the "fringe" operating system. Or maybe you just recently discovered Linux through the ease and simplicity offered by Linspire and now Freespire through the ingenious Click-n-Run technology that makes the installation of programs as simple as one click.
No matter. The point is that you found Linux and as you began using this new operating system you quickly discovered that you no longer had a use for anything else as you had all the power and functionality needed within Linux. You probably started telling your friends and family about your discovery making attempts to "convert" them to Linux. What happened? As you absorbed the new information you began to share that information with others because YOUR experience enlightened you to the fact that Linux was no longer just for geeks, but could be used by just about anyone.
You shared Linux through the methodology we marketers like to call "viral marketing" or "word-of-mouth marketing". This is the most powerful kind of marketing in the world surpassing all other marketing efforts.
YOU came to Linux probably through the advice of a friend who heard about Linux through his/her friend down through the line. That is how viral marketing works. Still, as in all other types of marketing and sales there needs to be some type of follow-up, a customer-oriented focus that serves to educate the customer/client concerning the workings of his/her purchase. TUX Magazine was the educational tool for new Linux users. TUX was equally an effective proselytizing tool to encourage fence-straddlers to embrace the open-source philosophy with a dedication and decision to use Linux.
The idea was and is still desparately needed in the Linux community. There is no other medium that serves the "newbie" Linux user. Without TUX there is a large gaping void - an unmet need. As Eric Raymond proclaims in World Domination 201, "You can't win the desktop if you don't even try. Right now, few in the Linux world are seriously trying. And time is running out." TUX Magazine was all about trying. If you haven't read Eric's paper detailing why 2008 is a crucial year for Linux you are encouraged to do so at the following link.
http://catb.org/~esr/writings/world-...ation-201.html
Concerning TUX... I do not know what the future holds for TUX Magazine; however, I do know this, TUX has a chance at being resurrected in some form. A recent letter posted by publisher Phil Hughes at tuxmagazine.com stated that "...a group of us who were involved in TUX are tossing some ideas around. Where it will go we are not sure but let me assure you that enough of us feel TUX needs to exist that we will try our best to come up with, as they say, "Plan B".
How do YOU feel about TUX? Are YOUwilling to pay $9.99 or more for an annual subscription? Did YOU enjoy reading the articles and insights published each and every month in PDF format? Do YOU believe that TUX is needed to help reach Windows refugees and/or to train/educate "newbie" Linux users in the useability of Linux?
If so, now is your time to take action!!
Express your thoughts and feelings to publisher Phil Hughes and encourage him to seriously consider the resurrection of TUX Magazine. If you really believe that it is a useful tool... please take this letter to heart. If you are willing to pay for TUX let Phil know this. If you enjoyed certain articles or topics let Phil know this as well.
Give other people a choice... help them discover Linux as you once discovered Linux. You know what I mean don't you? Then write Phil right now at phil@tuxmagazine.com
Jay Kruizenga
PS: I'm certain by now you can see that TUX Magazine offers benefits found nowhere else for the new Linux user. With eye-opening reports and engaging tutorials, TUX stood out from the crowd. We are not going to win the desktop if we don't try!! TUX is all about trying!!