Linux Fanboys
November 23, 2008
Lately, Linux fanboys have been really annoying me. If you’ve ever used Linux and posted on message boards, IRC, blogs, or any other form of media you might know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the guys that think MS is all bad, for no good reason.
First order of business: Microsoft is not evil. They are not out to get you. They will not hurt you, attack you, or anything else like that. Sure, they’ve had some questionable business practices. Guess what? OTHER COMPANIES HAVE THEM TOO.
When you want to make money, you’re not going to hold the door open for your competitors or be kind to them. You’re trying to steal money away from them so you can have it, as is the basis of for-profit businesses. It’s not Microsoft’s fault they got successful.
They hold about 90% of the market share of operating systems, last time I checked. I saw somebody questioning the KDE project porting KDE to Windows today, almost like it was a bad thing. If you want a mass market of people to use your product you don’t make it Linux only. That almost seems like consumer lock in.
I don’t get why people whine when companies don’t make Linux versions of software. They say that many, many people want specific software to be ported to Linux. 100,000 people may seem like a lot of people to you, but the truth is, it isn’t. In the larger picture of things, there are many more customers that don’t care if X or Y is ported to Linux.
If you want companies to start porting things to Linux, it’s time to start introducing more people to it. Rally in the streets (if you really care that much about Operating Systems). It really irks me when people write titles like “MS market share goes down” or “Year of the Linux Desktop”. Guess what? According to this site, Windows has a worldwide market share of 90.46%, and Linux has a whopping total of 0.71%. THAT ISN’T EVEN 1%. Sorry to say it so bluntly guys, but Windows isn’t going away any time soon. I’m willing to bet Linux will disappear before Windows does, because people will realize it’s a hopeless cause and give up on Desktop Linux.
Though, I must say, defacing company names (M$, Microsuck, internet exploder, etc) isn’t going to get you anywhere. I don’t get what’s so fun about typing it that way. It’s not rebellious, it’s not clever, witty, or funny. It’s just stupid. I’m starting to believe the amount of company defacing used in a post is directly proportional to how ignorant the author is.
I may add more to this later..
November 23, 2008 at 8:44 am
We have similar feelings. Even worse is with Apple fanboys. They seem to have just one mantra – “Everyone should switch to mac”. I always have 1 reply for them – “why?”. Everything I need to do I do on my windows machines (yes, machines). The beauty of the hardware does not add to my productivity. Rather, it will distract.
Linux. Lovely operating system if you have the time to get to know it properly, but really, who has the time.I have projects to deliver on a deadline, yet some people want me to spend time getting to know an operating system? I tell a lot of linux enthusiasts, if i cant get my favorite (productivity) applications on linux, then they should forget it.
They have good server market share, they should stick with that and stop dissing a company that is also trying to survive like them. Just because I refuse to give my software out for free, I AM NOT EVIL. And just because a software is free, I AM NOT COMPELLED TO USE IT.
November 23, 2008 at 9:12 am
Although I’m Linux guy (do not consider myself a fanboy) I totally agree with African Boy on Linux. I may not like the phylosophy of restricted software but that’s as far as my criticism goes.
My wife runs MS Vista on her laptop and since she bought it 8 months ago it’s never froze on her. Plus she can do everything she needs.
I’m never going to switch to MS Windows but, for me, it’s a matter of personal choice.
November 23, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I hear what you are saying….BUT….you need to understand WHY there is an ideology behind Linux and open source software akin to a religious belief system (fanboys).
Adherents of this belief system (and I include myself among their ranks) see Microsoft (i.e. MicroSnot, Windoze, etc .) as representing the forces of “evil” and as enemies of user “freedom and choice”.
Without going into every litany of MS sins (but there is plenty of fodder to arm the cannons). Microsoft is seens as monopolistic, using anti-competitive practices, spreading propaganda and lies to force their vision and will on users. They cater to the media industries, give users little or no choice on things like DRM, make it hard to delete or get rid of MS apps that are built into Windows, are not innovative or creative, copy others and act like they came up with the idea (akin to plagiarism) and yet are ready to threaten others with lawsuits for “patent infringement”. If we were in an episode of Star Wars, Microsoft is indeed the Evil Empire….and I believe the analogy is basically true. Linux is the underdog- fighting for freedom and justice and a better life for all. Ethically and morally, which side do you want to be on?
As for me, I really believe that Linux represents user freedom and a shift from the top-down tyrrany of proprietary systems. That is why I avoid the Mac- it is just trading one dictatorial regime for another- where maybe the apps run better and look nicer – but user freedom is still an illusion. Time and “community” is the one factor on Linux’s side. Over time- open source becomes stronger and better. Altruistic programmers and members of the Linux community are motivated by something other than just profit. This is really the unquantifiable Linux element and force. As long as governments stay out of the way….and maintain net and OS neutrality in the law….Linux will continue to grow. Computer technology can be used for good or for evil. Linux is a necessary check and balance to the unfettered ambitions of Microsoft and any other would be OS tyrant. I hope in time, Linux will bite significantly into MS’s dominance on the desktop and elsewhere and users will begin to see that they can survive and thrive in an open source world.
November 28, 2008 at 4:05 am
@LinuxIdealogue: I agree 100%
>I’m willing to bet Linux will disappear before Windows
>does, because people will realize it’s a hopeless cause
>and give up on Desktop Linux.
I fail to agree with you. Linux will survive because it is community based, not company owned. As long as the internet exists, Linux will continue to maintain it’s users/projects/code and thrive. And even if the net becomes filtered, we will find ways around it, as always.