5 ms·

Let me be the first to say that this is so fucking weird. I used to work in digital signage and... it sucks? There is no fun here. Of all the things Ubuntu/Can

Let me be the first to say that this is so fucking weird. I used to work in digital signage and... it sucks? There is no fun here. Of all the things Ubuntu/Canonical could be investing in I would never have guessed digital signage.

smoldesu 5y ago
Yeah, that seems to be my takeaway too. This strikes me as the sort of project you'd throw together last-minute to show your boss that you haven't been watching Netflix on company time for the past 6 months.
- azinman2 5y ago
  Seems useful to me. There are so versions of kiosks in the world, and this prevents an MS license fee.
  - smarx007 5y ago
    Yep, I hope Ubuntu in signage will put an end to an endless source of embarrassment like https://www.reddit.com/r/PBSOD/comments/abjex3/public_bsod_in_a_telekom_shop_in_bayern_germany/ https://www.reddit.com/r/PBSOD/comments/abjex3/public_bsod_i...
    - brian_herman 5y ago
      I have a feeling the ubuntu equivalent will just show up.
    - mixedCase 5y ago
      I've seen plenty of pictures of digital signage with kernel panics and system v/systemd errors too. Ironically, most of them on /r/linux as a sign of pride.
deadbunny 5y ago
Seems to be another attempt to push snaps to me.
- stubish 5y ago
  Indeed, it is if you are an IoT device manufacturer. IoT is a bit of a laughing stock due to poor security and updates, which is what snap is trying to bring to the table with reliable, automatic updates for the OS and software components, and containerization.
smarx007 5y ago
There is no fun… but there is money, I guess? An LTS comes with 4-5 years of free updates and Canonical charges for 5 more years of security updates.
- askvictor 5y ago
  Given how much enterprise solutions cost (at least last time I checked a few years ago), yes there is money in it.
unethical_ban 5y ago
I assume it is a massive market. Every fast food restaurant, clothing store, mall, arena, train and airport station, and so on has or will have it in the near future. Infrastructure isn't sexy, but it can make money.
eli 5y ago
That’s kinda the point. The digital signage options currently suck. It’s an underserved market.
- agent327 5y ago
  Can you explain a bit more? What's missing from current options?
  - smarx007 5y ago
    I think the idea is that as long as there is pain, there is a way to introduce a value proposition. For example, see https://www.businessmodelsinc.com/about-bmi/tools/value-proposition-canvas/ https://www.businessmodelsinc.com/about-bmi/tools/value-prop...
    - agent327 5y ago
      ...what? I'm asking what he is missing in current available options. In other words, what the 'pain' is. I'm not asking about business opportunities.
      - smarx007 5y ago
        Sorry, misunderstood your question!
bregma 5y ago
It might suck for you but does it suck as a revenue source for Canonical? Successful business doesn't always mean having fun.

smoldesu 5y ago

Yeah, that seems to be my takeaway too. This strikes me as the sort of project you'd throw together last-minute to show your boss that you haven't been watching Netflix on company time for the past 6 months.

azinman2 5y ago
Seems useful to me. There are so versions of kiosks in the world, and this prevents an MS license fee.
- smarx007 5y ago
  Yep, I hope Ubuntu in signage will put an end to an endless source of embarrassment like https://www.reddit.com/r/PBSOD/comments/abjex3/public_bsod_in_a_telekom_shop_in_bayern_germany/ https://www.reddit.com/r/PBSOD/comments/abjex3/public_bsod_i...
  - brian_herman 5y ago
    I have a feeling the ubuntu equivalent will just show up.
  - mixedCase 5y ago
    I've seen plenty of pictures of digital signage with kernel panics and system v/systemd errors too. Ironically, most of them on /r/linux as a sign of pride.

deadbunny 5y ago

Seems to be another attempt to push snaps to me.

stubish 5y ago
Indeed, it is if you are an IoT device manufacturer. IoT is a bit of a laughing stock due to poor security and updates, which is what snap is trying to bring to the table with reliable, automatic updates for the OS and software components, and containerization.

smarx007 5y ago

There is no fun… but there is money, I guess? An LTS comes with 4-5 years of free updates and Canonical charges for 5 more years of security updates.

askvictor 5y ago
Given how much enterprise solutions cost (at least last time I checked a few years ago), yes there is money in it.

unethical_ban 5y ago

I assume it is a massive market. Every fast food restaurant, clothing store, mall, arena, train and airport station, and so on has or will have it in the near future. Infrastructure isn't sexy, but it can make money.

eli 5y ago

That’s kinda the point. The digital signage options currently suck. It’s an underserved market.

agent327 5y ago
Can you explain a bit more? What's missing from current options?
- smarx007 5y ago
  I think the idea is that as long as there is pain, there is a way to introduce a value proposition. For example, see https://www.businessmodelsinc.com/about-bmi/tools/value-proposition-canvas/ https://www.businessmodelsinc.com/about-bmi/tools/value-prop...
  - agent327 5y ago
    ...what? I'm asking what he is missing in current available options. In other words, what the 'pain' is. I'm not asking about business opportunities.
    - smarx007 5y ago
      Sorry, misunderstood your question!

bregma 5y ago

It might suck for you but does it suck as a revenue source for Canonical? Successful business doesn't always mean having fun.