why aren't there more linux commercials?

[rm-rf]

I have never seen a linux commercial in my life (except for the recent android commercials) and when I looked them up, there weren't that many (again: except for the android commercials). How can software companies that profit off of Linux go without any advertising?

[jayd512]

Most of the companies that make a profit with Linux either sell commercial support (like Red Het), or use open source toolkits to write and develop proprietary applications for corporations.
Not alot of advertising value to be had there in the eyes of the masses.

I would like to see a few commercials once in a while, though. If nothing else, just to raise a little awareness that there are other options available.

[rokytnji]

Lets see. How much did your last distro install cost you besides the cost of a CD,DVD, or pendrive?

Nada?

While I paypal certain developers for appreciation of hard work given. Also volunteer time to development. Buy pendrives from Linux vendors (once) It doesn't stack up to a hill of beans for financing air time on a radio station or airtime on a major network like the gieco lizard. Maybe PBS might do a piece on Gnu/Linux though later.

Having said that. I am thinking of painting one of my scooters with a AntiX theme logo sometime this winter.

[rm-rf]

I would like to see a few commercials once in a while, though. If nothing else, just to raise a little awareness that there are other options available.

I completely agree. someone really ought to make one.

[jayd512]

Not sure if you came across them, but there were a few made.
linux commercial - YouTube

The top 7 are real... after that, I think we're just hitting comedy.

[rm-rf]

yes I have seen them, the unfortunate thing is that I never saw them on television, only on the internet, and only when I looked them up.

[sgosnell]

Somebody has to pay for the commercials, and they're very expensive. By the time you pay for making the commercial, then pay for the air time, you're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. Who's going to pay that to make a commercial for a free OS or free software? If you're giving the software away, how can you make the money to pay for a commercial? The total amount of money I've spent on Linux, OS and application software, is exactly $0.00.

[rm-rf]

perhaps the companies that sell services related to the software.

[MASONTX]

They would advertise their services, not linux in gerneral. It would be in the trade publications that serve their target audience, not general print and entertainment.

[jayd512]

I'm sure that an advertising exec could phrase it far better, but what would a sales pitch for RHEL really boil down to?
"Download our safe, reliable product completely free of charge! Pay us, and we'll support it!"

We here know the value of that offer... but how's it going to sound to the rest of the world?