[jdev] [OT] XMPP icons

[Sander Devrieze]

2008/7/7 JabberForum <list-jdev at jabberforum.org>:
>
> Sander Devrieze;1603 Wrote:
>>
>> Neither "Jabber" not "XMPP" should be used IMHO. Let them use the term
>> "instant messaging", but make them *associate* the term "XMPP" with
>> "instant messaging". When people (both geeks and end users) see the
>> term "XMPP" and/or the logo on a website or in some software, they
>> should directly associate it with interoperability, open standard,
>> instant messaging, not getting locked in a walled garden, and so
>> forth.
>>
>
> Hum... I would LOVE meet these kind of end users... But usually when
> they think this way, they are often no more simple end users.

Look behind you: I'm sure you will see someone who thinks this way
regarding the Web ;-)

> Most
> people don't really care about this, simply because they don't care
> about computers at all. Most common users don't see how freedom (because
> this is what open standard, interoperability, etc. is about) and
> computers can be associated, and even having anything in common...
> Computers are just tools for them... and I would have liked they were
> right. Computer should never have taken this much importance, in my
> opinion (but this is another discussion) so that we have to fight so
> much for fear of what you call "walled garden" (because we know how
> dangerous it can be, what most people don't).
>
> Anyway do you think that, when end users think about emails, the web
> (http/html), irc, etc. they associate this with interoperability and
> openess? Even a very big part (most?!) of people working with computers
> don't associate these! So the end users even less!!!

They do: when they read "http://www.example.org/" somewhere (e.g.
magazine), they will know they have to start their computer and hit on
the "blue e icon" on their desktop. Then they will enter the address
in the URL bar (or go to Google first, yes such people exist I heard
:D) and they expect it to work.

<snip>

Off-topic but related: association is also one of the reasons why it
is so hard to get non-geek end users to switch to another operating
system: their computer has a Windows flag logo on it, the hardware
they see when shopping has the same Windows logo on it, the software
they see when shopping has the same Windows flag logo on it, when
running Windows they will see the same flag logo during startup, in
the start button, and on various other places, and so forth. Even
though Linux probably has better built-in hardware support than
Windows, and even though there probably is more good software
available for Linux, people still *feel* Linux being worse on these 2
points because they don't see the penguin Linux logo that much in
their hardware or software shop. PS: for this reason we did put a big
penguin on the downloads page of Coccinella; stupid people downloading
the Windows or Mac OS X versions should see that they can later easily
switch to an OS with a penguin on the install disk, instead of one
with a flag or an apple ;-)

Off-topic2: don't underestimate the strength of association:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke

-- 
Mvg, Sander Devrieze.