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Linux is Not Windows
Edvard:
40Hz: I'm sorry if I caused confusion. I didn't mean that your post or Zaine's in themselves was causing me concern. The point I was trying to make was a fusion of your comment that discussions about OS preference often goes the way of religious convictions and Zaine's comment on what can and can't be talked about on DC. Allen summed it up nicely but I'll put it this way:
IN OTHER WORDS... Let's "walk softly" so that OS discussions go no further into the flammable territory currently occupied by religious and political arguments, which are highly discouraged on the DC forum (and for darn good reason...).
Good-natured jabfests should be no cause for concern, nor lively discussions on technical merits (or lack thereof), but full-on flame wars are, and I have no stomach for innocent blood spilled on the shaky ground of personal opinion.
I have seen the kind of ire that App spoke of, and it is embarrassing to see it coming from fellow Linux enthusiasts who should be making better use of their time. I have also seen and felt the same from Windows enthusiasts and it feels no better.
*please deposit another 2 cents to continue this discussion* <click. Bzzz....>
40hz:
This was recently posted on Linux.com.
Portrait: Michelle Murrain lives the open source lifestyle
By Tina Gasperson on August 07, 2008 (9:00:00 PM)
Michelle Murrain is a great example of what the FOSS community is all about.
She's complicated: she calls herself a "scientist turned technologist turned theologian turned writer," all blended into one person. She's also an active supporter of and contributor to open source software projects. She's not a developer, however, and Murrain would really like to see more space for people like her, with different gifts to share, in the open source community.
http://www.linux.com/feature/143264
--- End quote ---
Twenty more people like her and Tux could rule the world! ;D
I have seen the kind of ire that App spoke of, and it is embarrassing to see it coming from fellow Linux enthusiasts who should be making better use of their time.
--- End quote ---
Very true. But there's hope. Take a look at LinuxChix.org to see what can be accomplished with a little less attitude. I think this group addresses may of the issues App raised earlier.
About LinuxChix
Wed, 11 Apr 2007
LinuxChix is a community for women who like Linux, and for anyone who wants to support women in computing. We are an international group of Free Software users and developers, founded in 1999 with the aim of "supporting women in Linux." Founder Deb Richardson described it as an alternative to the "locker room atmosphere" found in some online technical forums and gave LinuxChix two core rules: "be polite" and "be helpful". LinuxChix is now many things to many people, but it remains primarily a group for supporting women in computing, specifically in Open Source/Free Software/Software Libre computing.
LinuxChix has been continually active for eight years and its forums have attracted over one thousand members worldwide. In addition, it has over fifteen active regional chapters.
Deb Richardson started LinuxChix because she was tired of seeing new users being browbeaten for asking "stupid" questions. She was tired of seeing people respond to perfectly valid questions with "RTFM", or "we're not a Linux help channel", and other such not-terribly-useful things. She wanted to attempt to create a more hospitable community in which people can discuss Linux, a community that encourages participation, that doesn't allow the quieter among us to be drowned out by the vocal minority. She also wanted to run a group that was aimed at women.
http://www.linuxchix.org/
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Bookmark this website fellow Nixers - and learn! :Thmbsup:
40hz:
40Hz: I'm sorry if I caused confusion. I didn't mean that your post or Zaine's in themselves was causing me concern. The point I was trying to make was a fusion of your comment that discussions about OS preference often goes the way of religious convictions and Zaine's comment on what can and can't be talked about on DC.
-Edvard (August 12, 2008, 01:25 PM)
--- End quote ---
Not a problem. And thank you for clarifying. :)
app103:
Ok, the war is over...everyone go home and enjoy the operating system of your choice.
And remember to be nice and not harass anybody else that is doing the same, on or off of dc. It's not nice to hit people in the face with a banana cream pie just because they prefer coconut custard. You can feel free to offer them a slice of yours, but don't get upset and hit them with it, if they don't accept it.
zridling:
For me, the question is not "What OS do you use?" but "How do you collaborate with others?"
The former leads to the predictable slate of arguments we can recite in our sleep. The latter is best done when the code is freely available to all. My personal journey in the last nine months from using to Windows and Linux, to just Linux, all the while being able to do all the work necessary for my job, was enabled by several business apps that have been ported to different platforms. Broad use of open source apps like Firefox, WordPress, Python, PHP, and Komodo were key. OpenOffice, too, works across platforms as well, and it helps that ODF is widely used in the cloud. Like many today, I spend most of my day working with information and services through a browser. For my personal email, I use Gmail, an example of cloud computing.
When I move from “desktop” to “desktop” the most important thing is how I can access my information. If I can access my email and documents for work, and my music for fun, I’m happy. People have or want devices like the iPhone so that they can get work done anywhere, even if they can’t connect their laptops to wifi. Their use will continue to rise.
Linux finally stopped copying Windows circa 2001 this summer with the release of the KDE 4.1 desktop environment. It would be even better if everyone looked at what Apple is doing with usability and design and emulated their continuous success there. Heck, open source need look no further than WordPress, which has attracted excellent graphic designers to build themes and skins. I understand that to gain acceptance for new software, it is easier for users if you mirror the behavior of old software, but at some time you need to step out and innovate in the user interface. KDE 4.1 was a great step forward (for Linux) in this respect, as Vista was for Windows.
Innovation shouldn't merely be driven by maximum "cosmetic" UI consistency. The system -- whether its OS be Windows, Linux, or OS X -- should be held together by well-engineered common design principles and APIs rather than aging string, frivolous patents, and bubble gum (patch) coding.
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