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List:       gentoo-hardened
Subject:    Marketing Hardened Gentoo ..
From:       "Gavin Vess" <Gavin () Vess ! com>
Date:       2003-06-07 19:04:10
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Greetings,

I see merits to all the points mentioned, especially our stated purpose =
"Hardened Gentoo's purpose is to make Gentoo viable for high security, =
high stability production server environments." [ =
http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/hardened/ ]  By definition, successful =
marketing ought to further this goal and project.

Although we may question the credibility of the aforementioned article =
and UK security company, the underlying problem of increasing attacks =
(and security failures) for Linux-based systems remains.  The article =
demonstrates the likelihood of increasing public awareness.  This need =
translates into consumer demand for secure operating systems in =
production server environments.  There are a finite number of products =
competing to address this need, and competing for finite developer =
resources (e.g. the Gentoo team, package authors, original product =
developers, system administrators, etc.).  For example, John Doe may =
choose to develop, install, administrate, tune, or customize OpenBSD or =
Yellow Dog Linux or a custom-crafted environment built on WOLK .. or =
hardened Gentoo.

For several reasons, I would like to eventually see people asserting =
that hardened Gentoo is the #1 Linux-based choice in the world for a =
hardened server platform.  1st place might convey an order-of-magnitude =
greater "benefits" to the "vendors" than 2nd place.  "Increased =
visibility of the Gentoo Hardened effort will help."  If the right =
things are marketed to the right groups at the right time, then =
consumers will use the product and developers will support and enhance =
it.  On the other hand, as Boyd pointed out, attracting the wrong people =
to the wrong places at the wrong time might prove a significant =
hindrance to progress.

I suggest targetting two sets of audiences (at a minimum). Boyd's =
awesome summary of [hardened] Gentoo, combined with a clear =
justification of the increasing need, might help increase awareness.  =
Perhaps not just yet, but soon, consumers need to realize that an =
alternative exists to other secure versions of Linux (and non-Linux OS), =
and developers need to know that they might find hardened Gentoo =
satisfies their security needs with less effort (Boyd's principle of =
relative "invisibility").  In a few weeks (months?), when we're ready, I =
also suggest recruiting some time from a true marketer for the project.

Another 2 cents,
Gavin

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