Re: Wanted: new project slogan

On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 1:03 PM, Joshua Kramer <josh(at)globalherald(dot)net> wrote:

> I have spoken with upper management at more than one large company, all of
> whom said (though not in so many words) that the primary reason they (spend
> the tens-hundreds of K/year to) buy support is not because their own folks
> lack expertise, but because they want a "neck to strangle" (i.e. an entity
> on which to displace responsibility).
>
> Almost invariably, such management is allergic (i.e. has violent reactions
> to) the term 'community', and upon discovering the use of 'community'
> software in their enterprises start looking for a support contract to buy
> (i.e. CentOS -> RedHat, PostgreSQL -> EnterpriseDB) -OR- alternative
> supported products that they already license (i.e. PostgreSQL ->
> MS-SQL-Server). Lower-level workers who want to integrate open source
> products into their ecosystems have better luck when they suggest those
> supported alternatives.
>

I've seen an interesting spin on this: executives arguing they need a neck
to ring if something goes wrong but knowing that the license won't let them
but not admitting it because they want shareholders to feel better. Even at
that company we went with PostgreSQL.

I've also seen the opposite: an aversion to paying for anything thats so
strong that you pretty much have to use open source or free as in beer
tools. I've seen this at companies ranging from 30,000 to 8 employees.

Getting back to that first company - we went with PostgreSQL even though we
were an a semi-indemnity kick. Why? We'd been using it for a few years and
it worked well. We had lots of experience with it. We'd already optimized
for it. Lastly it is free.

In this case it was all about momentum. We got that momentum because we
appealed to a senior developer early in the process of forming the company.
If that hadn't happened I wouldn't even be on this mailing list.

So my point is that your probably not going to win anyone over who is
already using something else unless something drastic happens. We should
really be targeting those organizations that are just forming. Executives
may or may not come in later and want to do the whole PostgreSQL ->
EnterpriseDB thing.

You mention executive declaring a migration from PostgreSQL to MS-SQL.
Depending on the project that could either cost a couple man weeks or a
couple man months. Thats unlikely to be a good sell to an executive. I've
never seen one consider it. On the other hand I haven't been working all
that long and I don't tend to work for executives who won't listen to
reason.

Has anyone mentioned Greenplum yet? I'm thrilled about it because its made
the "news" a few times which can only lead to more PostgreSQL exposure.
Suites aren't going to know or care, but it gives us more clout with those
senior developers in forming companies.

Nik