[Axiom-mail] contacting Linux distributors

[root]

*,

We have a major "business" opportunity in the near future.
(No, this isn't spam but it sure starts out that way :-) )

RedHat is changing its distribution model so that they maintain less
of a distribution and accept more packages directly from the developers.
I'm unfamiliar with the details of this change but it gives us a chance
to reach a larger audience.

We need to make a coordinated effort to identify and contact the major
Linux distributors (at least RehHat, SUSE, Debian, etc) to 

(a) understand their policy for "accepting and blessing" a package
(b) understand their requirements for pacakging (rpm, apt, etc)
(c) understand their config requirements
(d) understand their user interface requirements
(e) understand their support requirements

we need to "market" to them that they have a "hole" in their "product
line" in that they do not have an industrial strength scientific
computation system. We need to explain that Mathematica, Maple, MuPAD,
etc. are widely used and that Axiom can be a free alternative.

It is still early in our "product cycle" but a stand-alone algebra build
is frightenly close to reality and the rest of the system is targeted
to be built by year end. At which point the first, major effort will be
completed. 

We need to find "distributors" and RedHat's changing business model is
a major opportunity. 

Is there anyone on the list who is interested in "taking the lead" 
in the "marketing" department and coordinating "vendor" contacts?
It would involve emailing, cold-calling, and coordinating vendors to
gather the above "market requirements" and then making a plan with
the vendors to coordinate becoming part of their distribution. It is
essential that we find the right people to talk to within each 
distributor, that we work closely with them to feed their requirements
to the developers, and that they generally have a positive and professional
experience when working with us.

I understand that the prevailing "business model" of open source projects
is "build it and they will come". I want to change that to "build it and
deliver it to everyone's desktop". Yes, I know not everyone needs it but
having just one major vendor like RedHat or SUSE would put us in every
school and business worlwide.

The personal advantage to you is that you get a list of contacts within
the major vendors. You could leverage this to represent other open source
products with the same model.

I will, unfortunately, be only partially available until Aug 10th, as
I'll be at a conference. So your "classwork" assignment is to discuss
this among yourselves and volunteer to set something up.

Tim Daly
address@hidden
address@hidden