"Yet, despite the baying of mobs with pitch forks and torches in the background, the topic of how FOSS presents itself to the world at large has started to be raised in blogs. The consensus is that FOSS has not taken control of its identity, and would be more successful if it did.
"I am as uneasy as anyone when the idea of marketing is raised -- maybe more so, since I worked in marketing for several years before I found an honest job, and know its faults as only an insider can. All the same, I welcome the discussion as distasteful but increasingly necessary.
"Within the community, FOSS is well established as a brand. However, outside the community, FOSS' identity is less clear. There are at least seven reasons for this lack of clarity, all of which need to be addressed if the community is going to grow much beyond its current size."
