I was in my car, which does not happen very often these days, and an audio book by Seth Godin was playing from my phone through the car’s audio system. My phone would sometimes ding, which would stop the book for about five seconds.
It was not often that I talked on the phone, but that time I was really sick of it. Consumer goods, like phones, are made for the biggest groups. This was one of the many things that came to mind. Smartphones are made for TikTok users who can do more with one thumb than I can with both. To put it another way, Kenn can’t use the smartphone like many consumers.
As brains often do, mine jumped, and I knew right away why I like Linux on my work machine. When it comes to laptops and desktops, I am not like most people. This is me: a DevOps nerd, a coder, and someone who does crazy things to see if they can make something work better or look cooler.
Microsoft and Apple are making goods that work for more people than just “Kenn” because that is what makes sense for them. Since I am on the edge, what works best for me does not always work best for the big market.
As someone who lives in the present, I also like some of the good things about OS/x or Windows, and I would love to see more of those things added to Linux. But when it comes to work, where things have to get done, I want the best setting for me, which is someone who is very, very different from the average visitor.
This all makes me think of Seth Godin again. I have been listening to All Marketers Are Liars (for the second or third time), and the author talks a lot about how to find markets that are not being handled well enough. He says that some people can find a lot of options that meet their needs in the middle, but a lot of people can not find the goods or services that work for them on the edges. These edges, in our world, are millions of possible buyers.
It was an interesting moment for me because I felt frustrated, which made what the book was telling me even more clear. Like many other things, Linux on the laptop is not right for everyone. But it is for me and a few million other people, which is great. Not for everyone, but for a lot of real people who are trying to get things done, it fills a need.
In the end? I am a great example of the market Seth Godin was talking about. There is no middle ground for me when it comes to my laptop and phone. I am not in the mass market. I am on the edge of not being well treated because I do not use my phone or computer like most people do. Some of us on the edges may feel alone sometimes, but the truth is that there are big markets here that might not be happy with what is currently offered. Not only is that a chance for your business, but it is also a chance to make some people happy with a better product or service.
