In a recent post I wrote called "Linux has no marketing, but what if it did?" I made the point that with Microsoft's Windows 7 OS coming out on October 22nd, there will be a blitz of marketing around it, and noted that there never is any such blitz promoting Linux.

Microsoft is giving awards to marketing people who help its fight against GNU/Linux (and Free software in general)

Around this time last year, computer manufactures were trying to convince people not to wait until Vista came out to buy a new computer. To that end Microsoft devised what was (and still is) considered to be one of the most confusing marketing campaigns ever.

How many Linux/BSD distros/projects have slogans? And what do those slogans say about the software projects they represent? Some of these slogans are more "official" than others, but whether sanctioned or not, they all do say something about the code and people behind them. Do you think the projects live up to their slogans? If not, what should their real slogans be?

One of the discussions we had during the marketing and outreach session is whether the marketing should emphasize "Free" or emphasize the benefits of GNOME.

Microsoft and Apple have PR people and marketing budgets to get the word out about new software, but open-source projects, for the most part, don't. They rely mostly on word of mouth (or blog) promotion.

Projects like the Tux Project and the Radio Talkshow Blitz are vitally important projects when it comes to helping the Free Software movement grow.

This month's announcement by Microsoft to acquire digital marketing services firm aQuantive has revealed little on how the companies will integrate their IT, but inside information indicates the deal may be Redmond's largest commitment to free software.

Novell markets Microsoft software along with its own and Novell's CMO talks about experimentation with viral marketing