[Mageia-dev] Identifying Target Markets

[Marc Paré]

> Such applications don't have to be installed by default. They just have
> to be available on the installation DVD, with a selectable Educational
> group of applications, much like the Internet and Server groups
> available on existing Mandriva DVD's. It could even be called "Young
> Family".
>
> Note that in the past (at least about 10 years ago), RedHat CD's had
> many selectable installation groups, many of which overlapped. So using
> this approach, there could be groups called "Educational", "Young
> Family", and "Home Office", for example, all containing the
> go-openoffice office suite, among other applications.
> I believe that the current Mandriva DVD doesn't have any overlap between
> installation groups.
>

> - André (andre999)
>

I like this approach. When I have helped people with their install of 
Mandriva, once we get to the choice of applications, I usually tell them 
to choose the 3rd choice and go to the package selection. If we could 
add a specific choice of "Education Workstation" then this would be 
enough to satisfy most users installing for the first time. We could 
then focus on education specific softs  in this category. (I have 
noticed, BTW, that most, if not all, users will ask to include the "Game 
Workstation" in their installation.)

There should, in fact, be an "Education" focussed marketing group inside 
the larger Mageia marketing group.

It has long been known that if you can market to the younger kids, they 
will most likely continue with what they were used to use later on in 
life. Apple has followed this principle quite well, music companies 
follow this principle quite well (Yamaha Corp.) for schools. This gives 
them a marketing edge and a good slice of the consumer end of things. 
Imagine if Mageia could corner 1-2% of consumer acceptance of its 
product. That would be quite a feat in itself.

In fact, I use this principle at work where I used years ago 
Mandriva2007 for a lab. I was told that linux was not welcomed in our 
school board. So I created a lab with Mandriva 2007 disguised as Windows 
machines (themes, icons, etc). Students and staff used the "extra lab" 
and even the "special education" teachers used it to teach students with 
learning disabilities. No one ever complained of the lab and at year end 
I told the staff and students that it was a linux lab. I got more 
requests that year to install linux on home boxes that I could imagine.

Since then, linux has been part of my school's student history, with my 
helping install home installations for free (help) and doing remote 
maintenance/service if they need help. I have approx. 150 students using 
OpenOffice and roughly 40-50 students using Mandriva at home.

Marc