Main page for IBM ad (English)

Transcript of IBM commercial (English)

'IBM Pushes Mainstream Linux Acceptance With New Television Ad' from MacObserver (English)

I can't resist commenting on this IBM advertisement for Linux. For one thing, it is a sign of Linux becoming truly mainstream, as it is being aired today (7-Sep-2003) during a US football game. Although I personally have never watched a game except for excerpts on TV, I know that in the US football approaches the status held by religion in some other cultures; and that the large viewership and their focused state during TV broadcast games lends itself well to both overt and subliminal human programming techniques. The other thing which is very noticeable is that IBM definitely "gets it" about Linux and FLOSS. They are spending a lot of money on Linux, and have a long-term view of the situation - a distinct contrast with dinosaurs like SCO and Microsoft.

Now for the commercial itself. I'm not going to analyze every single line, but the entire transcript is at the bottom of the page if you'd like to read it. I'm going to settle for a few things which jump out at me immediately. I'm somewhat at a disadvantage because I can't watch the commercial on TV, nor is my connection fast enough to watch the streaming versions on the IBM site.

The most significant thing is that Linux is anthropomorphized into a nine-year-old kid, making it seem very non-threatening and friendly. The first thing which popped into my mind when I saw the two photos of the kid on the IBM web page is that he looks like the clairvoyant spoon-bending next-evolutionary-step kid in Matrix I. The "hidden knowledge" feeling is also reinforced by the presence of an astrologer (not astronomer!) near the middle of the transcript.

Here's the lead-in from the IBM web page:

"Linux is like nothing else in the history of computing, the most unique innovation operating systems have ever seen. It's unprecedented integration. It's an open source operating system. Owned by no single company or private enterprise. Constantly improved by thousands of programmers. And it's getting bigger. Last year, according to the IDC, shipments of servers running Linux increased by 22.8%.

"If Linux were a person, he would be growing, fast. Taught by the best. Gaining wisdom beyond his years. And sharing. He would be in business, education, government and homes. He would be a nine-year-old boy changing the world."

I think the "intellectual" atmosphere is enhanced by the use of Latin twice. As is obvious from the less-than-adequate Slashdot comments, the study of Latin in the US has been replaced with more relevant subjects such as how to put condoms on bananas or how to turn your parents in for growing dope in the garage. Anyway, I'll dust off my high-school Latin and do my best at translation and explanation.

The first phrase is the anthropologist using the term "Homo habilis", which means "handy man", implying "user of tools". Since both of those words are cognates in English and it's just a noun-adjective combination, I think it fair to say most people get this, and make the association with the computer as an advanced tool. The tool theme is echoed by the plumber.

The second phrase is a little more difficult, although the words are fairly well known in English: "Res publica non dominetur," which is literally "(The) thing of the public (let) not be dominated."; more idiomatically, "Don't let something that belongs to the public get taken over by a despot." This is a clear reference to Open Source being a publicly-owned resource, not to be owned or controlled by anyone; the force of the verb "dominare" is indeed so strong as to imply despotism. The form "dominetur" is third person singular passive subjunctive, which because it is used in the main clause is called the "jussive subjunctive"; this means it's a command. Translation into English with the verb "Let..." doesn't do justice to the force of the mood. It's not a suggestion, it's a plea or an inalterable edict. I don't know how this gets across to people who don't know Latin, but it probably works or else the people who write these ads wouldn't do it.

"Res publica" is not the only reference to groups and community, there are lots of others: "Losing yourself to the group", "teamwork", "we all learn", "we all benefit", and very obliquely, "Poet: Poetry. There's not much glory in poetry, only achievement." This is also a salute to the countless individuals who have worked to develop Linux.

But the best I've saved for last: Mr. Gates, who says, "...sharing data is the first step toward community."

Yes, the wisdom of Professor Gates is truly amazing. Surely everyone in the US knows that name, even if they don't understand that the one whose first name is Bill probably wouldn't be in agreement with the wise Professor. It's indeed ironic that the weight of the name Gates is used to promote Linux and Open Source in this commercial. It wouldn't be surprising to see Bill Gates trademark his name and sue anybody who used it in the context of computing, just to prevent this type of thing from happening. I wonder if he's watching the game this afternoon. If he does see this commercial, I'm sure it won't put him in a good mood.

I don't really know how all this works in people's minds, but I do know that the net effect will be to publicize Linux and bring it more into the collective consciousness in the US. At some point I hope to meet some of the people involved in IBM's Linux efforts, they seem very smart and have a clear vision of the future as well as how they will make a business out of it. Cum prophetia defecerit dissipabitur populus.

Willy Smith, reporting from Costa Rica

Transcript of IBM ad:

Open on young boy sitting in chair, camera pans overhead.

Male Voice: I think you should see this.

Female Voice: It's just a kid.

Cut to young boy sitting in front of rock musician.

Rock Guy: This is a G cord. (Strums his guitar)

Cut to boy sitting in chair, side view (overhead).

Male Voice: He's learning. Absorbing. He's getting smarter every day.

Cut to boy with anthropologist sitting across from him.

Anthropologist: Homo habilis was the first to use tools.

Cut to Coach John R. Wooden speaking to boy.

Coach Wooden: A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that's teamwork.

Cut to close-up of boy.

Male Voice: It's happening fast.

Cut to astrologer speaking to boy.

Astrologer: We've always watched the stars. If you look at the sky, you can see the beginning of time.

Cut to soccer player bouncing ball on knee in front of boy.

Cut to Professor Gates speaking to boy.

Mr. Gates: Collecting data is only the first step toward wisdom. But sharing data is the first step toward community.

Cut to side shot of poet speaking to boy.

Poet: Poetry. There's not much glory in poetry, only achievement.

Cut to overhead shot of boy.

Voice: Knowledge amplification. What he learns, we all learn. What he knows, we all benefit from.

Cut to side shot of Sylvia Nasar speaking to boy.

Ms. Nasar: One little thing can solve an incredibly complex problem.

Cut to frontal shot of Penny Marshall speaking to boy.

Ms. Marshall: Everything's about timing kid.

Cut to side shot of businessman speaking to boy.

CEO: This is business. Faster. Better. Cheaper. Constant improvement.

Cut to camera panning overhead, then to Pilot speaking to boy.

Pilot: So, you wanna fly, huh? Wind speed, thrust, it's physics.

Latin Teacher: Res publica non dominetur.

Cut to plumber speaking to boy.

Plumber: Plumbing, it's all about the tools.

Cut to Muhammad Ali.

Ali: Speak your mind. Don't back down.

Cut to camera panning over boy's head into white.

Female Voice: Does he have a name?

Male Voice: His name is Linux.