Microsoft just released one of the coolest Windows trailers I've ever seen. Granted, I haven't seen any cool Windows trailers until today, but let's gloss over that for the time being. The trailer in question is for the new (open source!) Windows Terminal, and now I'm grappling with the desire to write the words "sexy" and "Terminal" in the same sentence. But yes, inexplicably, Microsoft conceived and published a trailer that not only makes Windows Terminal look attractive, but downright sexy. It's as slick and polished as an Apple ad. It invokes that same kind of hardware lust you may feel after watching the first reveal of a new Nvidia graphics card.
And it also sends a message to the Linux world: "this is how you do marketing." Here's that Windows Terminal trailer:
Seriously. What just happened? I love it.
On First Impressions + Harmful Impressions
By now most of you realize I'm a distro-hopping, Linux-loving enthusiast. But even as someone fairly new to this world, it didn't take long to notice that Linux -- specifically desktop Linux -- has a serious marketing problem. I stand confidently behind my claim that most Linux distributions are far more attractive than Windows, but that doesn't mean they're perceived by the general public as such.
Linux has marketing? First I have heard of this. Lol
— dark1LinuxTechGaming (@dark1LTG) May 7, 2019
You have a point Mr. Dark. Desktop Linux is primarily a community-driven affair -- often light on resources -- but that community is capable of greatness. And with Microsoft slowly but methodically dangling the Linux carrot to Windows users, it's time to step up the game. It's not like the Linux Foundation is going to save the day.
Let me explain what's bothering me. Surprisingly, my most popular article to date at Forbes is about Deepin, a stunning Linux distribution from China. It's the most polished and visually appealing desktop I've ever used, and that includes my time with many versions of macOS.
Here is Deepin's homepage:
First impressions are everything. Where are the screenshots to lure you in? Why are the first 30 seconds of Deepin's trailer for version 15.10 primarily text?
Another example I'll point to is the Xfce desktop environment. It's stable, fast and lightweight, and can quickly be molded into a gorgeous desktop. I recently spent a couple hours tuning and tweaking it to my liking and discovered that I prefer it to Gnome and KDE.
Here are a couple screenshots of my Xfce desktop:
And here is the Xfce homepage:
I'll even extend my criticism to the most popular Linux distribution: Ubuntu. If someone hears about Ubuntu and lands on their website, the first impression is, frankly, kind of boring. It's primarily text and icons. There are no easily accessible screenshots, no visual indication of the desktop I'll be using. While I understand that Ubuntu is more influential in the Enterprise / Server / IoT spaces, very little is being done to draw in the average new desktop user.
That's where I think elementary OS nails it. Fire up their site, and above the fold you see a one-liner describing the operating system and its intended audience, complimented by a photo of a thin-and-light laptop and a screenshot of the elementary OS desktop. Simple and effective. It creates curiosity and encourages further exploration.
GNOME also creates top-notch release videos. There will always be exceptions to the "Linux marketing sucks" statement.
Anyway, you probably see where I'm going with this. I understand that these developers aren't flush with cash. They may not have access to award-winning marketing agencies. But sometimes an idea -- irrespective of budget -- can be a disaster.
That brings me to a recent example of Linux-based marketing that is far more egregious. While it's admittedly a bit of a tangent, it needs to be called out. Have you seen that trailer for Purism's Librem One? Librem One is a bundled suite of privacy-respecting apps for Android, iOS and Purism's own PureOS which the company has positioned as competing with the "big tech services."
Purism launched Librem One with this video:
The tone-deaf advertisement amounts to a 50-second dick joke and perpetuates a disappointing image of Linux -- and by extension the entire tech world -- as being a juvenile, non-inclusive boys club. This is from a company who is striving to "change the world" (their words) and attempting to elevate the tenets of open source software and hardware.
We sincerely need to do better than this.
I'd love to see the majority of Linux desktop teams devote more time to visual assets, more energy into promoting the speed, look-and-feel, and overall beauty of their distros. I don't know the precise solution, but I do know there are plenty of YouTubers like Nick @ The Linux Experiment -- and even Linus Tech Tips -- that do a stellar job highlighting these things. A more effective job, sometimes, than the people creating these fantastic distros.
To the distro creators: it's crucial that you are the ones first shaping the image and intended perception of your product.
Get on Instagram. Hire video producers. Dedicate one person to doing nothing but showing off your distro on social media. Involve your communities. Don't just talk and write about the incredible thing you've developed: flaunt it in the best possible light. Create desire. Create curiosity. Linux is exciting and every piece of your messaging should reflect that! Be consistent, aggressive and unapologetic about it.
Or at least have some fun with it like openSUSE does:
After all, Microsoft just made the freaking Windows Terminal sexy. . .
