Feb 4

An Ugly Face on the Linux Community

Militant geeks are hurting the widespread adoption of Free software. CMP has an article on the subject, and Bruce Perens has written a message to the community condemning actions like cheering on the recent denial of service attacks on SCO.

“Do not cheer on attacks on the SCO site. By doing so, you falsely implicate our community in the attacks, in the eyes of outsiders who read your words. Our community believes in freedom of speech, not silencing our opponent’s speech through net attacks. We will defeat SCO using the truth, not by gagging them.”

This is the same old story of a few jerks ruining it for everyone. Since I’ve started participating in the Linux community, I’ve found that the vast majority of people out there will bend over backwards to help you understand and utilize Free software. The support for Linux is ten times better than you’ll likely receive for most proprietary software.

The minority, however, the folks who consider Free software a religious war and think that Microsoft Is The Devil, regardless of the facts or the situation, actually hurt the acceptance of Free software. It makes it harder for me to go to my boss and tell him we should use Linux when he perceives the Linux community to be a bunch of closed-minded elitists that act like the Internet’s equivalnt of a rowdy biker gang.

Articles via OSNews, grouchy ranting at no extra charge.

by Joe   February 4, 2004 10:24 AM   |
  tags: 
Linux

Comments

by Owen,   February 4, 2004 10:42 AM  

Unfortunately, this minority of miscreants is so vocal that it's the same face that I attribute to the whole Open Source movement. I can't say that I've met anyone with a more than passing interest in Linux that wasn't also a raging Microsoft hater.

by Deane,   February 4, 2004 10:50 AM  

Owen, is the inverse true? Can you both love Microsoft and Linux at the same time?

I have much more than a "passing interest" in Linux, and I don't hate Microsoft. I don't love it either, but I use it and think they do far more good than harm. I just find I can do a lot of things faster with a Linux development platform.

I'm still fuming over your eloquence in the Firebird post. :-)

by Owen,   February 4, 2004 2:33 PM  

I think that I am part of a rare, elusive, and typically non-vocal minority that uses a Microsoft desktop and at the same time has a large stake in Linux as a back end to my work. And I don't complain about either part.

It's core to my OS philosophy that no OS is the end-all. Each serves its purpose and works well. As much as I wouldn't recommend Linux as a desktop option to my friends who only want to play Doom 8 and send email (which is similar in requirement to the typical business user), I wouldn't recommend Windows servers to my boss who wants cheap and reliable web serving.

What gets me upset, as you've seen from my Firebird rantings, is when an overzealous tech community embraces a technology (Firebird, Linux) that isn't quite mature, and touts it as the Microsoft Killer. It's symptomatic of this type of user to get excited about the attack on SCO (who in my estimation are probably more deserving of such a distributed attack than MS), which seems ethically wrong. While I feel that Open Source is worthwhile and cool, I don't think that I'll be brandishing arms against tried and true Closed Source at the expense of rational thought.

Add Comment

Want to advertise on this site? Contact FM.
Web Hosting Web hosting, dedicated servers and Web design services
Laser Toner Cartridges UK laser toner, toner cartridges, hp toner, lexmark toner, samsung toner, canon, toner, epson toner, oki toner, kyocera toner, xerox toner, remanufactured toner, compatible toner
Direct TV Deals Free 4 room direct tv deals. no equipment to buy. free fast professional direct tv installation. this is the best direct tv deal available anywhere.
SEO Article Learn from the experts with our SEO article.
rope light Shopping with birddog distributing, inc., gives you access to the lowest prices, the best customer service and the quickest delivery times possible.
Laptop AC Adapter We offer genuine factory direct replacement AC adapters.
Direct TV Best satellite TV deals.
Direct TV Deals Direct TV programming deals are varied and include packages containing from 50 channels up to over 250 channels.
8mm film to DVD Retain family memories with the only frame by frame digital restoration service in the United States for your 8mm film to DVD today
Rubber Stamp Shop for custom self-inking stamps, hand stamps, address stamps, label stamps, check endorsement stamps, check deposit stamps, date stamps, pre inks, pocket stamps, ink and much more!