[clug-talk] Linux Blows...and Sucks

[Dafydd Crosby]

Juan Alberto Cirez wrote:
> Again,
> The point I was trying to make was that as a DESKTOP alternative, 
> GNU/Linux (ANY GNU/Linux distro), Blows...and Sucks. For someone like 
> myself, GNU/Linux shortcomings as a Desktop replacement are a 
> non-issue (as I have been using GNU/Linux since 1995); but to the 
> "average" user (like my 5 year-old daughter, my mother-in-law & my 
> wife) using GNU/LINUX (ubuntu, fedora, SuSe, etc.) is a gigantic pain 
> in the a$$.
>

That's interesting, because I've seen many children use Linux as their 
sole desktop. And guess what? They don't mind it a bit.

Part of it is pre-conceived expectations. When I was a kid, I hated 
brussel sprouts, because the expectation set by the cartoons I watched 
was "yuck!" However, I eat them all the time now (especially with 
steak), because one day when I was pretty plastered some friends served 
brussel sprouts and being outside of my expectations I gobbled them down.

I guess the problem is in the advocacy, not the software itself. Linux 
is different. It's not always intuitive. But actually it DOES work for a 
lot of people (use Google lately?). If you had to pay to use Linux (the 
OS and the kernel), I could see the anger and venom, since you've paid 
money. But the only thing Linux requires is time. Complaining about 
Linux is like trying to bitch at someone handing out free samples. If 
you haven't got time, don't switch. Simple.

Before I even saw the email "Linux Blows...and Sucks" I had a pretty 
good idea it was just going to be another hoser flaming the email list. 
I can approach it as "F*** off, troll," or I can take a more nuanced 
approach and examine the nature of pre-conceived expectations.

-Dafydd