Lunduke
News • Science & Tech
Lunduke's Random Linux Marketing Anecdotes
April 15, 2024
post photo preview

My days working in Linux marketing were... interesting.  It was a truly unique experience.  Wouldn't trade a moment of it (even the less than enjoyable parts).

Because I am feeling nostalgic, here's a few little tidbits from my time selling Linux-y stuff for Linux-y companies.

SUSE - The Oldest Linux Company

I spent roughly 4 years at SUSE as -- I kid you not -- often the only person, in the entire marketing department, who actually used Linux.  As such I tended to be the guy that every random marketing idea needed to be run by... you know, just to make sure SUSE didn't end up saying something that insulted Linux-folk.

Seriously.  It was crazy.  At one point the lady who ran all of marketing -- for the oldest Linux company -- had almost no clue, whatsoever, about how to even begin using Linux.  Or what the history of Linux was.  Or what the major projects were.

It was like if the head of marketing for Coca Cola had never tasted Coke before... and refused to even take a sip.  And was only vaguely aware that it was even a liquid.

Just the same... most of the time it was pretty fun.  I kept churning out ad campaigns that were some of the biggest successes SUSE had ever had -- resulting in SUSE numbers shooting up -- and, as a result, they gave me a lot of freedom.

Of the many varied and weird marketing projects I put together at SUSE... my favorite was a music video parody of "Uptown Funk"... about Linux kernel patching.

"Uptime Funk" was a fun one.  We hired a great group of musicians and dancers -- down in Provo, Utah -- who did a stellar job.  Our cinematographer and editor was absolutely amazing.

And, most importantly, nobody messed with my lyrics.  Which made me happy.  🤣

I tell ya.  The executives almost always messed with my words.

I remember, one time I wrote a parody of Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling".  I turned it into a song about a guy eating pie a dinner... singing about how he runs Linux on absolutely everything in his house.  He compulsively installs Linux on everything.  If it has electricity, he installs Linux on it.  And then he installs Linux inside of VMs on Linux.  And he uses a remote X session to log into his crock pot.

It was glorious.  And ridiculous.

Then the powers that be swooped in.  Non-Linux-understanding marketing people got assigned to "revise" the lyrics with the explicit instruction of making it "more marketing-y".

The result was "Can't Stop the SUSE".  Which, annoyingly, still lists me as having written the lyrics.  I'll let you decide how I feel about that song.

Near the end of my tenure at SUSE, things weren't quite as fun.  At one point I recall getting into an argument with the VP of Marketing... who told me, point blank, to never use the phrase "Free Software" and to stop talking about "Open Source" so much.

Seriously.  Things were going in a weird direction.

Then I left, SUSE got a new CEO, and everything went to heck in a handbasket for the oldest Linux company.

Purism - The Linux Hardware Guys

I spent a short spell as the Director of Marketing at Purism -- a company which sells laptops and whatnot pre-loaded with Linux.  While I ended up leaving the company due to some disagreements over how the business was run... there were definitely some fun moments.

For the launch of Librem One (Purism's effort to make a privacy-respecting online service), we created a commercial.  It's just a wee bit naughty.  No swearing but... definitely a lot of innuendo.  😎

You might recognize the voice at the end.

Ultimately, the Librem One service had some success -- but was severely bogged down by technical issues, and code licensing conflicts, early on.  Which was a bummer.  Really hobbled what could have otherwise been a fun product launch.

But, heck, the commercial was fun.  So it had that going for it!

community logo
Join the Lunduke Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
16
What else you may like…
Videos
Podcasts
Posts
Articles
GNOME's Anti-Lunduke Religious Crusade

The GNOME Project and Foundation is obsessed with Lunduke. In a creepy, unhealthy way. With several posts that are clearly libelous and extremely vulgar.

00:16:24
Paste Without Formatting Should be the Default

Software needs to stop trying to be so dang fancy. Simple is almost always better.

00:08:40
Texas Law Now Requires Age Verification for App Stores

In Unrelated News: Nearly 30 Million user accounts leaked in two massive data breaches.

00:29:08
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! 🤣

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

Hey Guys and Gals,

After having a bit of a rough year I am happy to announce that the rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated, that is to say that I am back :-) I am sure that in my absence absolutely nothing at all has happened ;-p

15 hours ago

Google really wanted me to let you know about this. As my "Recommended" programming, oops I mean viewing for today.

And, it is basically them telling what some of us already realize. It is ALL going to so-called artificial intelligence (AI). It doesn't matter how much anyone cares to doubt or deny it.

Important Change to SEO (New Google Update) - YouTube

@Lunduke #LundukeintheWild sighting around the 10 minute mark.

50% off The Lunduke Journal (including Lifetime Subscriptions) for one more day!

To all of you amazing nerds who have signed up for a new Lunduke Journal subscription today, thank you! You make The Lunduke Journal possible!

If you haven’t snagged yours yet, the “50% off everything, even the Lifetime Subscriptions” deal is available today and tomorrow (through Saturday, May 31st).

  • 50% off Monthly — Now $3 / Month (was $6 / Month)

  • 50% off Yearly — Now $27 / Year (was $54 / Year)

  • 50% off Yearly MP4 Downloads — Now $27 / Year (was $54 / Year)

  • 50% off Lifetime Subscriptions — Now $100 (was $200)

All the details on how to grab each type of subscription is right here. There’s also an audio podcast and video of me rambling about it.

Once again, thank you for all of the support. It truly does make a difference.

-Lunduke

Read full Article
50% off The Lunduke Journal (including Lifetime Subscriptions) through Saturday!

About 3 weeks back we had a deal where every new subscription to The Lunduke Journal was 50% off. Monthly, Yearly, Lifetime… all of it.

And — holy cow! — was that a success. Broke the record for most new subscribers to The Lunduke Journal in a single day. By a mile. Two days in a row.

Never seen anything like it. The amount of support all of you showed for truly independent Tech Journalism was off the charts.

You know what? Let’s try that again. Now through the end of May (which is Saturday, May 31st — the day after tomorrow):

  • 50% off Monthly — Now $3 / Month (was $6 / Month)

  • 50% off Yearly — Now $27 / Year (was $54 / Year)

  • 50% off Yearly MP4 Downloads — Now $27 / Year (was $54 / Year)

  • 50% off Lifetime Subscriptions — Now $100 (was $200)

Choose whichever option feels right for you. All the details and links are below.

Every one — big or small — directly funds the work of The Lunduke Journal (with zero overhead). Every option includes full access to the community Forum. And, of course, every type of subscription keeps The Lunduke Journal ad-free and Big Tech free.

Remember: 50% off is only through Saturday, May 31st. The next day (Sunday, June 1st) the prices all go back to normal.

50% Off Yearly or Monthly Subscription:

50% off a Yearly or Monthly subscription to The Lunduke Journal are available via both Locals and Substack. (This includes full access to the community Forum.)

That means $3 / Month. Or $27 / Year (which works out to $2.25 / Month).

Via Lunduke.Locals.com:

Via Lunduke.Substack.com:

The Famous Lifetime Subscription:

The "World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription" is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal. For life.

Now, through Saturday, May 31st… you can snag one at a crazy discount. Normally these are $200… but you can grab one for $100. (You can also pay more if you’d like to donate a little extra.)

The Lifetime Subscription can be obtained via Locals, Substack, or using Bitcoin. All three options work great and are super easy. Scroll down and choose your option.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Select "Give Once".

  3. Enter "100" (or more) into the amount field.

  4. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Substack:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Substack.com/subscribe.

  2. Select the “Lifetime Subscription” option.

  3. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

If you would also like full, Lifetime access to Lunduke.Locals.com (which is included):

  1. Make a free account on Lunduke.Locals.com.

  2. Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the email address you use on both Substack and Locals (can be different email addresses).

  3. Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status on Locals.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com or Substack.com (or both).

50% Off DRM-Free, MP4 Downloads:

Want to be able to download every show The Lunduke Journal releases (and watch them on whatever device you like)? Yeah. You can do that. For 50% off.

Note: This DRM-Free download option does not include access to the Forum. This option is strictly for downloading the episodes.

Make a One Time Donation

Subscription not enough (or not your thing)? Want to toss in a one-time donation to The Lunduke Journal? There’s a few great options!

Via BitCoin:

Send any amount of BTC to the following address:

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with to let us know it was you! You can choose to keep your donation anonymous if you prefer. (Either way, all BTC donations get included in the matching deal.)

Via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Click “GIVE ONCE”.

  3. Enter any amount you like.

You Make This Possible

A huge thank you to all of the subscribers who have made The Lunduke Journal possible. Because of you, we have been able to do true Tech Journalism — to tell the stories that no other Tech News outlet has the cajones to touch.

And to all of you new Lunduke Journal subscribers (which, wow, there’s a lot of you): Welcome to the last bastion of truly independent, Big-Tech-Free, ad-free, non-Woke Tech Journalism.

-Lunduke

Read full Article
50% off Monthly, Yearly Subscriptions! Lifetime Subs for $100! Let's get everyone subscribing to The Lunduke Journal!

The number of free subscribers to The Lunduke Journal has absolutely exploded — across a bunch of platforms — which is truly amazing. The real Tech News is spreading farther than ever.

In fact, the free subscriber growth is so utterly massive, that if even a tiny fraction of you became a paying subscriber… The Lunduke Journal would become comfortably financially set for a very long time. Able to continue reporting on Big Tech — and corrupt Tech Foundations — well into the future.

All without taking a penny from Big Tech.

With that in mind, let’s do something awesome… something that will make Big Tech really grumpy.

Let’s get as many people subscribing to The Lunduke Journal as possible. Right now. This week. Let’s make this Big-Tech-Free, Non-Woke Tech News publication financially set for a good, long time.

To give everyone a kick-in-the-butt to help make that happen, I’m going to discount absolutely every type of subscription in a crazy way — through Friday, May 9th.

  • %50 off Monthly — Now $3 / Month (was $6 / Month)

  • %50 off Yearly — Now $27 / Year (was $54 / Year)

  • %50 off Yearly MP4 Downloads — Now $27 / Year (was $54 / Year)

  • %50 off Lifetime Subscriptions — Now $100 (was $200)

That Lifetime Subscription one is crazy.

Seriously. Make a one-time donation of $100, and be subscribed to The Lunduke Journal… for life. (This includes full access to the community Forum.)

If even 1% of the new free subscribers who have joined in the last month take advantage of this… The Lunduke Journal will be fully funded through the end of this year. And then some.

Let’s make it happen. Scroll down. Pick which ever subscription type works best for you. Then high-five yourself for making Big Tech grumpy.

Just be sure to do it by the end of the day on Friday, May 9th. The prices all go back to normal after that.

50% Off Yearly or Monthly Subscription:

50% off a Yearly or Monthly subscription to The Lunduke Journal are available via both Locals and Substack. (This includes full access to the community Forum.)

That means $3 / Month. Or $27 / Year (which works out to $2.25 / Month).

Via Lunduke.Locals.com:

Via Lunduke.Substack.com:

The Famous Lifetime Subscription:

The "World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription" is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal. For life.

And now, through Friday, May 9th… you can snag one at a crazy discount. Normally these are $200… but you can grab one for $100. (You can also pay more if you’d like to donate a little extra.)

The Lifetime Subscription can be obtained via Locals, Substack, or using Bitcoin. All three options work great and are super easy. Scroll down and choose your option.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Select "Give Once".

  3. Enter "100" (or more) into the amount field.

  4. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Substack:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Substack.com/subscribe.

  2. Select the “Lifetime Subscription” option.

  3. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

If you would also like full, Lifetime access to Lunduke.Locals.com (which is included):

  1. Make a free account on Lunduke.Locals.com.

  2. Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the email address you use on both Substack and Locals (can be different email addresses).

  3. Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status on Locals.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com or Substack.com.

50% Off DRM-Free, MP4 Downloads:

Want to be able to download every show The Lunduke Journal releases (and watch them on whatever device you like)? Yeah. You can do that. For 50% off.

Note: This DRM-Free download option does not include access to the Forum. This option is strictly for downloading the episodes.

Make a One Time Donation

Subscription not enough (or not your thing)? Want to toss in a one-time donation to The Lunduke Journal? There’s a few great options!

Via BitCoin:

Send any amount of BTC to the following address:

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with to let us know it was you! You can choose to keep your donation anonymous if you prefer. (Either way, all BTC donations get included in the matching deal.)

Via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Click “GIVE ONCE”.

  3. Enter any amount you like.

You Make This Possible

A huge thank you to all of the subscribers who have made The Lunduke Journal possible. Because of you, we have been able to do true Tech Journalism — to tell the stories that no other Tech News outlet has the cajones to touch.

And to all of you new Lunduke Journal subscribers: Welcome to the last bastion of truly independent, Big-Tech-Free, ad-free, non-Woke Tech Journalism.

-Lunduke

Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals