[Ocaml-biz] Why should they believe us?

[Brandon J. Van Every]

Martin Jambon wrote:
> Brandon J. Van Every
> >
> > OCaml offers superior high level language features,
> > superior type safety, and performance.
>
> Right, but people will not believe us easily because we don't show any
> proof that OCaml is so great.
> I don't know what we can imagine for this, but showing
> "success stories" is not the only way.
> I am thinking of things like "free support for 60 days" or

Speaking seriously, only a consulting business can provide support
contracts like that.  There's a a page at COCAN for people offering
OCaml services.  Unfortunately I can't give you the link as I still
can't see the website and the webadmin has not returned my e-mails.  I
wonder if a different browser would help?

> "satisfied or
> money back" (of course for things that are already free :-)
> or anything that shows that we are serious.

The particular phrase "satisfied or your money back" reads as a joke.
Although it might be funny, it highlights a perceived weakness of any
open source product: no company to blame.  We do not want to highlight
this.

> Another adjective about OCaml: risk-free

That, of course, would be lying.  I think marketing can be a powerful
force, for better or for worse, but I do draw the line at lying.

I think you raise correct points, that people won't just believe
such-and-such, but it is the job of marketing to overcome that
resistance somehow.  That can be a mixture of counter-arguments,
shifting attention away from glaring defects, highlighting strengths,
getting endorsements from many sources, or even touchy feely
semi-tangibles like a snazzy logo.  On the COCAN website under
"background materials for marketing" (I think) there's a book about
creating "Whole Technology Products."  Maybe that book is worth your
perusal.

Meanwhile, the short course is "don't stress."  All products have flaws;
you market them anyways.  People buy things, even though most things
aren't perfect.  Life is rarely perfect.


Cheers,                     www.indiegamedesign.com
Brandon Van Every           Seattle, WA

When no one else sells courage, supply and demand take hold.