Re: website: say what Guix is at the very top

[myglc2@gmail.com]

On 01/19/2018 at 14:32 Ludovic Courtès writes:

> Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net> skribis:
>
>> It seems unfortunate to me that we have one shared website for GuixSD
>> and Guix.  As much as I love GuixSD, I think Guix is the main “product”
>> and GuixSD would need to be moved to a subsite.  That’s primarily
>> because GuixSD can be explained in terms of Guix, but explaining Guix as
>> “the package manager we use for GuixSD” seems less helpful.
>>
>> We have many more use-cases for Guix than for GuixSD, Guix is mature and
>> GuixSD is still exploring ways to provide its own spin on traditional
>> features (e.g. “guix deploy”).
>>
>> It’s much easier to tell people to “upgrade” to GuixSD when they already
>> know Guix as a mature, reliable, and understandable piece of software,
>> than to get them to “settle” for just Guix on a foreign distro, when
>> we’re “selling” them GuixSD.
>>
>> My proposal is to keep https://gnu.org/s/guix focussed on Guix the
>> functional software environment manager, and have the distro under
>> https://gnu.org/s/guix/distro.

"functional software environment manager" applies equally well to Guix
and GuixSD. It nicely captures the POV of all our users and potential
users, be they lowly users or sysadmins.

"software environment manager" is equally applicable, has only 3K web
hits, and defers the need to explain what functional means.

So I think we should use "software environment manager" for our product
category / tag line.

>>
>> What do you think?
>
> In principle I think it’s a good idea.  In practice I’m not sure what
> this would look like, though.
>
> For instance, does that mean /distro would be a “second home page”, with
> screenshots, contacts, blog entries, baseline, and all?
>
> Or would it be
> different?  What would be remove from or add to the actual home page?
>
> Thoughts?

NixOS is a good example of what a well-executed second home page might
look like. IMO it fails to help a noob understand Nix/NixOX. I doubt we
could do better.

How about visualizing our situation this way ...

1) We have one product, a software environment manager (temporarily
   referred to below as "GuixU")

2) GuixU possesses the union of all the features and benefits of Guix
   and GuixSD

3) GuixU features become available depending on how you install it


With this in mind, we can visualize our home page as a one-page menu
designed to help you select which item to download.  It could look
something like ...

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

GuixU, the first software environment manager with

< list 6 key things: the GuixU features/benefits that are
currently the most important to our users >

GuixU is used by

< clickable user types >

GuixU alternatives

< Comparison table: GuixU features/benefits vs your alternatives >

The availability of GuixU features depends on how you install it

< checklist: (GuixU features U download status) vs download options >

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This is a nicely durable and familiar design from a marketing POV. It
can be easily kept current by adjusting tables and lists as relevant
technology, features, substitutes, and download options come and go.

WDYT?

- George