Darkelve
Jul 6 2004, 08:34 PM
Urza9814
Jul 6 2004, 09:20 PM
*confused*
that is the weirdest thing I've ever seen....
SwiftDeath
Jul 6 2004, 09:21 PM
LOL!!! Thats a really weird advertising strategy.
I gotta try that some time.
arctic
Jul 6 2004, 10:26 PM
What do you want to try? To give birth to a horse???
kmc77
Jul 6 2004, 11:24 PM
I love the crying cashier at the end.
iphitus
Jul 7 2004, 12:07 AM
lets have a competition to find out what the advertising executives were smoking at the time.
SwiftDeath
Jul 7 2004, 01:49 AM
I think their saying that if you use free and open-source you'll it'll help you become pregnant so you don't have to buy viagra.
Better give that to my StarOffice to my wife!
J/P i don't got a wife. lol
iphitus
Jul 7 2004, 02:07 AM
QUOTE (SwiftDeath @ Jul 7 2004, 11:49 AM)
I think their saying that if you use free and open-source you'll it'll help you become pregnant so you don't have to buy viagra.
Better give that to my StarOffice to my wife!
J/P i don't got a wife. lol
I am not all to interested in having foals for children...
but whatever floats yer boat
Cannonfodder
Jul 7 2004, 04:08 AM
Maybe you just have to understand Japenese Psychology?
Urza9814
Jul 7 2004, 05:48 AM
...but that's not as fun...
Darkelve
Jul 7 2004, 06:23 AM
QUOTE (cannonfodder @ Jul 7 2004, 05:08 AM)
Maybe you just have to understand Japenese Psychology?
Well I suspect it's a proverb of some kind.
In the meaning of "Being so baffled that you give birth to a horse" or something. Know what I mean?

Maybe one of our Japanese members would know?
Darkelve
P.S. For things like this, we really
need someone here:
http://www.mandrakeusers.org/index.php?showtopic=5604 ,
who can translate from Japanese
SoulSe
Jul 7 2004, 07:43 AM
Lordeeee
I love the way how, as Microsoft get more and more 'serious', the opensource community take the piss more and more.
AussieJohn
Jul 7 2004, 09:11 AM
SoulSe is the only one who has got it.
The Japanese advertising is taking the piss out of all those idiotic advertisements from Microsoft and there is not a thing Microsoft can do about .
I suspect that Microsoft sales people are so dumb when it comes to real intellect that this all just goes straight over their heads.
I remember the brilliant one from Fuji Film about the new born baby popping up a camera and snapping a picture. It was shown in Australia for a long time and extremely popular. It was not only cute and original but was taking the piss out of Kodak shitty adverts without making any reference to them or copying them and again dumb Kodak sales people could not see it although everybody else did.
If you do not think the japanese have not caught on to the Aussie "taking the piss" expertise then you should see the Japanese car makers and their ads. They are brilliant and funny. Love the ones about the dog and "bugger" . Some idiots tried to get the series of adverts banned and they were withdrawn for a few days but after the uproar from the general public who loved the ads, they were continued.
American sales people seem to think they are the worlds experts but you only have to look at adverts from around the world and you soon realise that is nowhere near the truth. Not even a quarter way to the truth.
So I am not at all surprised by this advert from Japan. Way to go.
Cheers. John.
Darkelve
Jul 7 2004, 09:37 AM
QUOTE (AussieJohn @ Jul 7 2004, 10:11 AM)
I suspect that Microsoft sales people are so dumb when it comes to real intellect that this all just goes straight over their heads.
Well, that was one of the most important reasons I liked the commercial.
But AussieJohn, given the position they are taking and their love for "classical, well-proven, pre-fab" commercials, they really don't have any other options. And I agree they probably lack the imagination for that. Or maybe they don't, but management never would agree.
Either way, there's nothing they can do about it.
I could probably make up a dozen of similar commercials myself (sometimes when I nap in the train I fantasize about what such a commercial will look like

). It's not hard, once you find the right concept. In an Open Source world, clearly treated as the "underdog" by M$, humor (and especially this kind of humor) is the key.
I didn't know the expression "taking the piss (out of it)" before, but I imagines that's probably a good way to describe it.
Edit: here's a nice article:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/07/microsoft_cost_cuts/"Microsoft looks for $1bn savings"
Are you thinking what I thinking? Yes/No?
"Hint: why, this is excactly the same amount that IBM..."
Ah, delicious irony...
(someone make an ad out of this, quick!

)
iphitus
Jul 7 2004, 11:11 AM
but the thing is..... StarOffice isnt open source.....
yes, i realise it is the commercial version of openoffice, and that it is essentially OOo with stuff on top.
There isnt a reference to the free OpenOffice anywhere. Nor is there a reference to Open Source in the advert.
It is not promoting Open Source, it is promoting a commercial alternative to MS Office, taking the piss out of MS, a damn good alternative too. But it's not promoting OSS.
Darkelve
Jul 7 2004, 11:18 AM
Mandrake is a commercial alternative to M$ Windows as well. Accordingly they could use similar types of commercials (yes I know advertising is expensive) to promote their product.
(In reply to ipithus post)
Gowator
Jul 7 2004, 12:20 PM
THIS IS A SPOOF
Saving the free drinks
Microsoft today made tremendous cost savings which have had its staff worrying needlessly for months. The Redmond rag reports that Microsoft employees have been threatened with paying for beverages which Microsoft has traditionally provided free.
A Microsoft spokesperson today confirmed that in order to sponsor uncle Bills computers for the third world initiative it will be charging employees for water, parking and deskspace.....
However all of this was saved when Microsoft finance wizards pulled out their trump card. Microsoft employs 88,500 people worldwide and by switching to opensource applications could save at least $500 per employee... giving over $44 Million savings almost instantly.
On top of this staff can be expected to be more productive by not having to reboot there PC's every ten minutes. "Why eat your own dog food when you can eat steak for free" said the finance wiz, I Vegan.
Vegan as asked if this would not be bad publicity for the company that they dont use their own software -
"heck we have been running our web servers on opensource OS's for years whilst telling our customers to use IIS I don't see why this would be negative for the company and our stockholders will surely see benefits soon"
We asked if they saw any downside to switching to opensource....
"Well we have spent so long polluting the web that many sites are only available to windows users, we literally poured millions of dollars into making the web a MS only place and now many of the sites of our best customerswill be off limits to us - but every cloud has a silver lining, we have been practically giving away technology to subvert the internet and now we will save on that too."
Asked how Microsoft plan to spend the extra money Vegan had some definate plans...
"Its quite exciting really, we'll be paying for some independent studies to proove Microsoft is cheaper than linux and also we can subsidise free windows for companies that already worked out for themselves that linux is cheaper, that way we can lock em in for the future"
Darkelve
Jul 7 2004, 02:20 PM
My casual attempt at a parody commercial:
- The screen is divided into two blocks. Each block shows a desk in a computer store, where a client is asking information from a salesman for a new PC purchase. The Right block shows a salesman (Richard) pushing a PC with Linux preloaded to the client (Trish); he has a friendly faces and modern glasses. The left one (Steve) is pushing a PC with windows to his client (Josh); he looks like Steve Ballmer. One block blurs out as it focuses on the currently active block.
*** Left Block ***
Steve: you want to buy a computer.
Josh: that's right.
Steve: well, I've got just the right thing for you. With Windows XP pre-installed! Want me to put it in gift wrapping for you?
*** Right Block ***
Richard: So you want to buy a computer?
Trish: that's right.
Richard: All of our computers come pre-installed with Linux. We've got different brands of Linux for different purposes. For which tasks would you like to use it?
*** Left Block ***
Josh: What software does it have?
Steve: Well, it's got the fantastic Internet Explorer, so you can surf the Internet. Then there is also the cool Windows Media Player to play video files and finally the very professional Microsoft Word to type your letters. And Outlook Express to check your mail. All very advanced! Want me to pack it for you?
Josh: That's it?
Steve: well eh... it also has Notepad, Wordpad and erm... Microsoft Photo Editor. All, erm... top-of-the league programs
Josh: No CD burning?
Steve: no, but you can buy that seperately.
Josh: Nothing to make spreadsheats? Presentations?
Steve: you'll need Microsoft Office for that, you can buy that seperately.
Josh: Accounting software? A sound editor? Games?
Steve: well, there's patience for games, minesweeper and pinball. You can buy the others seperately.
Josh: File sharing software?
Steve: Sharing is evil.
*** Right Block ***
Trish: well, I want to surf the internet, check my mail and watch video
Richard: For the internet, there are Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Konqueror or Galeon. For email there is Kmail, Evolution and Thunderbird. For video there is mplayer, xine and still others. All included of course.
Trish: Sounds confusing, I really only need one app for each.
Richard: Firefox for browsing, Thunderbird for mail, Mplayer for video. You cannot go wrong with these. If you don't like them, there's lots of alternative programs you can try out if you want.
Trish: What about CD burning, spreadsheets, presentations, accounting software, a sound editor, games.
Richard: All there. All included of course.
Trish: File sharing software?
Richard: amule, edonkey, bittorrent, lots more of them.
Trish: but isn't file sharing illegal?
Richard: no, it is not. As with everything, it depends on how you use it.
*** Left Block ***
Josh: About Internet Explorer. I read the Department of Homeland Security says to stop using it because it's too insecure.
Steve: Internet Explorer is not the problem. It's the users that are the problem.
Josh: but the department of...
Steve: the department DON'T KNOW JACK!
(standing and balancing on a circus ball now)
Steve: look, the Internet is a dangerous place. If I make the mistake of not balancing carefully on this ball and fall off, then it's not the fault of the ball, NOW IS IT!?
Josh: but there will be other attacks like this no?
Steve: Not once we catch the criminals who did this! Then, the internet will be safe once more. In the meantime, you can download the patch. It will be available within two months month.
Josh: But surely they aren't the only ones responsible for this?
Steve: yes they are! I'm telling you, all will be well soon. Trust me.
Josh: And what do I do in the meantime!?
Steve: Pray. Or don't use the internet.
*** Right Block ***
Trish: I read there were a lot of attacks on the internet in the last weeks. Is that true?
Richard: Yes, but the problem is Internet Explorer. In fact the browsers we provide are much more secure and don't suffer from these problems. You will be able to browse the web and check your mail with peace of mind.
Trish: say, why is that guy over there standing on a circus ball and screaming?
Richard: Beats me.
*** Left Block ***
Josh: So let me get this straight. I get a computer with only a couple of programs on it, with which I cannot safely go on the internet at this moment? And before I can actually use it, I have to buy a ton more software?
Steve: Yes, but... our product is the best! And it's so advanced! See, it has all these nice wizards and colors and animated paperclips and cats and dogs! Try to find that somewhere else!
*** Right Block ***
Trish: So let me get this straight. I get a computer with thousands of programs on it, at no addittional fee? And besides that, I can surf the internet and check my email with peace of mind?
Richard: All included...
Trish: ...of course.
Richard: So what do you think?
Trish: I'll take the Linux computer!
*** Left Block ***
Steve: ... so?
Josh: I'll take the circus ball!
"Linux - the answer is clear!"
AussieJohn
Jul 7 2004, 03:30 PM
Magnificent Darkelve. Simply love the punch line. Would make a great Advert. Considering how pervasive the Internet is, maybe someone could make a video of the idea and make it available for us all to circulate it around . That would be advertising Linux the WWW way now wouldn't it ????? (But make it in a common format so that it can be played on a Windows or Linux platform)
Cheers. John.
Gowator
Jul 7 2004, 03:58 PM
anon.... do you have any more cups ???
how about a MUB competition for the funniest MS spoof as determined by say a 24 hour voting ???
if we dont have afree mug then we can always give away a years free membership of MUB ....
Darkelve
Jul 7 2004, 04:51 PM
QUOTE (Gowator @ Jul 7 2004, 04:58 PM)
anon.... do you have any more cups ???
how about a MUB competition for the funniest MS spoof as determined by say a 24 hour voting ???
if we dont have afree mug then we can always give away a years free membership of MUB ....
Gowator, you've already got one year of free membership on MUB. Don't get greedy

Oh, and AussieJohn, you think we could convince Ballmer to play in it?
AussieJohn
Jul 7 2004, 10:56 PM
Hello Darkelve. Nah. Ballmer couldn't balance anything let alone try to balance on a ball . Let's face it, a feat like that would require skill and talent . When he did his monkey dance I bet even the monkeys were laughing and saying "just who is this talentless idiot or is he just a throw back to our far distant ancestors ??? ".
Cheers. John.
iphitus
Jul 7 2004, 11:25 PM
Linux - The future is open.
And if you feel like laughin at MS, theres some top stuff here.
http://alt.venus.co.uk/weed/humour/gates30.htm
SwiftDeath
Jul 8 2004, 02:51 AM
Darkelve.... thats a pretty descent commercial, but it may be a little long. The average user doesn't pay attention to adds normally for more than 10 seconds so you have to make your points fast.
I can't remember where I read that, but I beleive its true.
Most webusers have also programmed themselves to ignore banners and pop-ups. I am one of them, lol.
Darkelve
Jul 8 2004, 09:10 AM
QUOTE (SwiftDeath @ Jul 8 2004, 03:51 AM)
Darkelve.... thats a pretty descent commercial, but it may be a little long.
Well, I think you're right. But i'm the kind of person that enjoys watching 8-hour movies or reading 5000-pages books (well, if they're good of course).
By the way, SwiftDeath, did you know that with Opera, you can disable the animated gif banners? The banners are still there, only the animation won't play!
ramfree17
Jul 8 2004, 10:02 AM
QUOTE (Gowator @ Jul 7 2004, 03:58 PM)
if we dont have afree mug then we can always give away a years free membership of MUB ....
no we cant. only mandrakesoft can do that. gramps/paul can grant lifetime membership to MUsB if somebody wants it.

create a flash animation of darkelves' plot. then release it in slashdot.

ciao!
Darkelve
Jul 8 2004, 10:59 AM
QUOTE (ramfree17 @ Jul 8 2004, 11:02 AM)
create a flash animation of darkelves' plot. then release it in slashdot.

ciao!
I'd love to have a Flash animation of that! Unfortunately, my Flash skills are rather basic, not to mention rusty...
But if you put it on slashdot, then I guess it would be better to use Bittorrent or Gnutella...
Gowator
Jul 8 2004, 12:42 PM
would be cool i found a linux flash generator last night...after an urpmi update....
cant remember what it was called but soulse ??? how about it... shared work you and darkelve , be really funny!
ramfree17
Jul 8 2004, 01:03 PM
hey,we have an arts and design forum right? give the task to those *weirdos* lurking out there.

ciao!
Darkelve
Jul 29 2004, 12:43 PM
QUOTE
Steve: look, the Internet is a dangerous place. If I make the mistake of not balancing carefully on this ball and fall off, then it's not the fault of the ball, NOW IS IT!?
Did anybody notice the "subtle" humor? I choose the image of a circus ball because, just like Windoze, it is not a safe/stable *platform* to be on (which is the real core of the problem).
I guess it's not immediately obvious... so does anyone want to try a video or a flash animation?
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