DISCLAIMER: I am a novice when it comes to Linux, so what follows is purely for comedic and observational purposes. I only used the below customer review from Newegg as an example of what seems to be a common behavior from the Linux camp at large, not as as a direct attack on the writer of said review. No operating systems were harmed during the writing of this blog post. I typed this on a Windows lapt
Browsing for netbooks on Newegg.com brought me this little gem for the ASUS Eee PC 901 XP:
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Did Microsoft get to Asus or NewEgg?
Reviewed By: Dr. Stu on 7/8/2008
Tech Level: high - Ownership: less than 1 day
- Pros: Theoretically, there's a Linux version available. Won't buy an EeePC 901 that includes an extortionist fee for LoseDoze ExPee since the "made for XP" sticker will be affixed to my toilet bowl.
- Cons: In practice, there does not seem to be a Linux version available.
- Other Thoughts: Ballmer wiped out the free software premise of the OLPC project. Now he's trying to do it to the Asus EeePC. When will the DoJ get serious with these extortionists?
Did you notice the clever reversal of Microsoft's flagship software title? "LoseDoze ExPee" - as in, the opposite of Win Dows XP. Because "lose" is the opposite of "win", the latter quality WinXP surely lacks. Are you with us so far? Take heed: review was written by a doctor. Therefore, serious business.
I'm sure it's been pointed out by much smarter people than I how ironic it is that Linux users champion the freedom of choice offered by the multiple flavors of Linux, given the operating system's 6 month release dates, tailor made OSes for specific processor speeds or memory requirements, etc, yet they won't hesitate to lambaste some poor asshole for "choosing" a Windows machine. Stranger yet is the hypocrisy behind a less severe browbeating for Mac users. I always end up finding the Linux community's stance against Windows analogous to that of the "Vote or Die" or "Rock the Vote" movements during the Bush vs Kerry campaign in 2004; here we had a seemingly non-biased youth based group advocating the value of exercising one's right to choose based on one's own informed decision, yet an underlying bias did exist: vote wisely, but if you vote anything but Democrat, you voted poorly. It's hypocritical and as with most hypocrisy, the offending party lets it sail by unchecked.
This was the first Google Image search result for the words "no choice". I guess it's a book about...mountain goats who're being forced not to vote independent? Maybe it's about goat abortions? Goatbortions?What amuses me further about Dr Stu's (I'd prefer if he was named Dr Love. Somehow that name sounds less ridiculous than a doctor who goes by the name Stu and possibly sucks on a lollipop while looking at your chart upside down) outright indignation is that both his "Pro" and "Con" points are about how the laptop didn't come with Linux. Where I come from, that would just count as a "con". If you have nothing else to say, perhaps a good "Pro" to list for the benefit of a wary consumer browsing the user reviews would be something like "fast boot time" or "lightweight, ideal for travel". See, that would actually be "helpful". But Mr Linuxfan (sorry, Doctor Linuxfan) is so hellbent on ranting about his frustration with the default operating system on the laptop that he's willing to sabotage the review for a piece of hardware. Yes, in case we forgot, the Newegg listing is for a laptop, not for a piece of software. We are interested in what the laptop can do in terms of speed, memory upgrades, features, warranty - the software we put on it is only incidental, if you think about it. Hell, if you have THAT much of an issue with the default operating system it ships with, there are plenty more netbooks out there where the Asus Eee came from which proudly ship with Linux pre-installed. Since Linux is free, hey, that's more money in your pocket to pay for a woman to come spend time with you. I don't see the sense in announcing to the world how incredibly butthurt you are that this netbook ships with - gasp! - not the imperialist Microsoft Windows! Heaven forbid some consumers would like to opt for that OS; such is the freedom of choice inherent in capitalism and blah blah blah.
Although I'm pretty sure affixing the Windows logo to his toilet bowl would be the cause of at least some concern; taco nights would surely void his warranty several times over.
Perhaps Linux users simply see the architecture of living in a different way than others do. I was browsing for help in a Linux forum once, and there was one individual who had posted a question similar to the one I was preparing to register to ask. A couple of responses later, one person helpfully chimed in saying there was an existing topic from a few months back that could hold the answer he seeks. As the user was a bit new to the site (and to the concept of a search option, I suppose), he asked if the respondent could supply a link to said topic. Now, in a normal circumstance, a person would simply browse to the topic very quickly, copy and paste the link into a response and Bob's your uncle. In this instance though, the respondent simply told the person to edit a few of the numbers on the message board's URL in the location bar (the number would be relative to the age of the post. So if the current post is listed as www.example.com/forum/22, and the topic in question was 5 posts ago, then the new url would read www.example.com/forum/17, to give a rough example) and then hit enter. The person with the question was not sure exactly how to go about editing the URL to get to the location he needed, so he simply asked for the link again - only to be met with another response stating to change the URL as mentioned before.
Herein lies the CORE problem between what Linux and its community offers and what users expect. Here's the problem: the Linux user's advice was correct and it will work. This is assuming that the user understands how to go about fixing his problem by following the directions. That's a big assumption since most computer users want to get to the solution with as little "finagling" as possible. The Linux user isn't giving bad advice or wrong advice. He is just giving advice based on what he thinks the user should be doing, not what the user wants. It's a sort of roundabout way of getting to the solution, instead of a direct resolution to the problem. The Linux user ends up pitying the novice for his lack of understanding of what is, to the former, a basic concept and might even look down on the novice. The novice walks away as confused as ever and wondering where the convenience of using his chosen software - the software he selected through freedom of choice, the software he wishes to use to make his life easier - kicks in. Who benefits? Maybe the Russians.
See, operating systems, none of them are perfect - they are millions and millions of lines of code that help us, the user, interact with our hardware to get it to do what we want. Our cellphones have software, as do our TVs, ATMs and of course, computers. None of the software out there is outright perfect. Neither is Linux. The greatest imperfection Linux probably has, as far as I can tell, is that the ordinary, non-techie user (who outnumber the tech savvy ones) are unable to grasp its usage, much less able to grasp the comparably simpler machinations of operating systems such as Apple's OS X. I don't see how ruffling your own plumage to show how positively vexed you are about Microsoft and its pricing/quality of software is helping other human beings with understanding their computers better, or making an informed purchase decision. I've had MORE than my fair share of problems with Windows and some if its asinine functions and bugs. I'm not even saying it's the be all and end all of operating systems, far from it. What I'm saying is, touting one OS over another is pointless because they ALL carry flaws, either on a service side or end product side of things. We are far, far off from a "perfect" OS, and it's a Zeno's paradox situation because no matter how many strides forward we may take in computing technology, we will never truly reach that finishing line. Human beings will continue to harbor unique requirements and personal tastes. We use freedom of choice to at least take some of the guesswork out of the equation.
*ducks behind sandbags awaiting eventual Linux user onslaught*
Although I'm pretty sure affixing the Windows logo to his toilet bowl would be the cause of at least some concern; taco nights would surely void his warranty several times over.Perhaps Linux users simply see the architecture of living in a different way than others do. I was browsing for help in a Linux forum once, and there was one individual who had posted a question similar to the one I was preparing to register to ask. A couple of responses later, one person helpfully chimed in saying there was an existing topic from a few months back that could hold the answer he seeks. As the user was a bit new to the site (and to the concept of a search option, I suppose), he asked if the respondent could supply a link to said topic. Now, in a normal circumstance, a person would simply browse to the topic very quickly, copy and paste the link into a response and Bob's your uncle. In this instance though, the respondent simply told the person to edit a few of the numbers on the message board's URL in the location bar (the number would be relative to the age of the post. So if the current post is listed as www.example.com/forum/22, and the topic in question was 5 posts ago, then the new url would read www.example.com/forum/17, to give a rough example) and then hit enter. The person with the question was not sure exactly how to go about editing the URL to get to the location he needed, so he simply asked for the link again - only to be met with another response stating to change the URL as mentioned before.
Herein lies the CORE problem between what Linux and its community offers and what users expect. Here's the problem: the Linux user's advice was correct and it will work. This is assuming that the user understands how to go about fixing his problem by following the directions. That's a big assumption since most computer users want to get to the solution with as little "finagling" as possible. The Linux user isn't giving bad advice or wrong advice. He is just giving advice based on what he thinks the user should be doing, not what the user wants. It's a sort of roundabout way of getting to the solution, instead of a direct resolution to the problem. The Linux user ends up pitying the novice for his lack of understanding of what is, to the former, a basic concept and might even look down on the novice. The novice walks away as confused as ever and wondering where the convenience of using his chosen software - the software he selected through freedom of choice, the software he wishes to use to make his life easier - kicks in. Who benefits? Maybe the Russians.
See, operating systems, none of them are perfect - they are millions and millions of lines of code that help us, the user, interact with our hardware to get it to do what we want. Our cellphones have software, as do our TVs, ATMs and of course, computers. None of the software out there is outright perfect. Neither is Linux. The greatest imperfection Linux probably has, as far as I can tell, is that the ordinary, non-techie user (who outnumber the tech savvy ones) are unable to grasp its usage, much less able to grasp the comparably simpler machinations of operating systems such as Apple's OS X. I don't see how ruffling your own plumage to show how positively vexed you are about Microsoft and its pricing/quality of software is helping other human beings with understanding their computers better, or making an informed purchase decision. I've had MORE than my fair share of problems with Windows and some if its asinine functions and bugs. I'm not even saying it's the be all and end all of operating systems, far from it. What I'm saying is, touting one OS over another is pointless because they ALL carry flaws, either on a service side or end product side of things. We are far, far off from a "perfect" OS, and it's a Zeno's paradox situation because no matter how many strides forward we may take in computing technology, we will never truly reach that finishing line. Human beings will continue to harbor unique requirements and personal tastes. We use freedom of choice to at least take some of the guesswork out of the equation.
*ducks behind sandbags awaiting eventual Linux user onslaught*
