It’s what one might call a bit of headline serendipity. On the list of this week’s open source-related headlines, such as:

• Sun-MySQL Deal Validates Open Source Model (ChannelWeb)
• MySQL, JBoss, Zimbra…What is an open-source company worth? (Cnet)
• IBM edges closer to creating an open-source Jazz version (Computerworld)

We also got this item:

• How Do You Market Open-Source Applications That Are Free? (MarketingDaily)

Well, it would appear that Sun, Red Hat and IBM have figured that out, right? To be fair, the MD item is focused on marketing open source applications to consumers as part of a low-cost PC purchase — in other words, as an alternative to Windows. But I think it’s interesting to consider how enterprise open source solution vendors have dealt with this issue.

Clearly, the IBMs, Red Hats, Suns, Alfrescos, SugarCRMs, EnterpriseDBs and a great many more firms involved in open source have spent heavily to promote their offerings to a business audience. One part of their message — like that of open source for consumers — is that open source has a lower cost of ownership: not free, but less. But the other part of the enterprise vendor message is that open source works better and can meet customer needs faster and more completely. Getting that speed and customization requires that a customer spend something to achieve those results — just less than might be spent with a closed, proprietary solution.

It’s not easy to get consumers to adopt open source — just ask Linus Torvalds. Seems to me developers of consumer open source applications are not helping their users to spread the word. The marketing challenge for consumer open source is not putting “Linux vs. Windows” tent cards on shelves in Staples or Sears, but drawing attention to open source usage. Would it be too tacky to have an embedded “Emailed by open source Linux” in the footers of emails sent by the applications installed in all those Wal-Mart PCs?

What do you think? Is traditional marketing important to open source success? Can open source be marketed to consumers or only to business users? Post your comments below.

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