Re: Wanted: new project slogan - Mailing list pgsql-advocacy
| From | Nikolas Everett |
|---|---|
| Subject | Re: Wanted: new project slogan |
| Date | |
| Msg-id | d4e11e981002030855n6e1e49eckc5189474274b1f2f@mail.gmail.com Whole thread Raw |
| In response to | Re: Wanted: new project slogan (Joshua Kramer <josh@globalherald.net>) |
| Responses |
Re: Wanted: new project slogan
|
| List | pgsql-advocacy |
On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 1:03 PM, Joshua Kramer <josh@globalherald.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
pgsql-advocacy by date: