Advocating Linux

From: jay (sexymanacle_at_ihug.co.nz)
Date: 10/31/04 

Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 17:30:02 +1300

ive been reading post on this list for a number of years & some of the
people posting negative threads about other OS's & people using these OS's
is disgracefull so....

Some advice to people who wish to advocate Linux. Especially to those who
want to criticise other operating systems in the process.

Linux is my operating system of choice. I want to
have many people use it, if only because then it has a higher chance of
surviving. Many people want the same thing, and some of them are actively
telling about Linux to other people, often in public newsgroups. This is
advocacy, and it's one good way to spread the word on Linux.

Unfortunately, some of these people seem to suffer from what has been
called the Amiga syndrome: whenever anyone discusses computers, the
stereotypical Amiga user will always claim that the Amiga is a better,
faster, cheaper, more user-friendly computer than any other, ever, and any
opposing view is treated as treachery, oppression, and a declaration of
nuclear war. Some Linux users are using the same tactics. They make both
themselves and Linux look bad. I'd like to stop this by making a few
suggestions for advocating Linux better.

There's no enforcement of these suggestions, nor will there be (the mere
idea is horrible). Linux users are supposed to have brains. If you don't
think I'm making sense, fine. One of us might consider the other an idiot,
but that's life.

Stay calm. There's no reason to get excited. If someone says something
about Linux that you don't like, so what? It's just computers, it's not
important.

Don't take it personally. Even if Linux is your dream system, there's no
reason to be offended if someone points out problems with Linux (even if
you wrote that part of Linux, which you probably didn't). It's not a
statement about you personally. If they flame Linux users, they're idiots
and you should ignore them. They're probably just trying to get some
attention.

Ignore flame baits. Like I said, some people just want attention. They
enjoy starting long flame wars by crossposting something insulting to
several unrelated groups (e.g., both to Windows and Linux groups). Don't
respond to these posts. It isn't productive.

Stick to facts. If someone says something wrong about Linux, reply with
the correct facts. Make sure they're facts, though, not just something you
heard about. Don't spread lies or rumors. Check your facts. If you don't
know how to do that, then perhaps you shouldn't take part in the
discussion, except perhaps by making questions. Even better, give
references so that other people can also check the facts.

Linux is not flawless. Linux has bugs, including design problems. If
someone points out something that is wrong with Linux, acknowledge it and
do something constructive, like forward it to the proper maintainer or fix
it yourself. Find a workaround. Write a summary of the problem and make it
publically available. Don't just whine.

Don't flame other systems. Perhaps Windows does crash more often than
Linux (although I have no hard data on this, just anecdotes, so I don't
know if it is true; remember, facts only). That doesn't mean you tell it
to every Windows user. If you must say something about other systems, keep
to facts (and make doubly sure they're facts) and present them politely.

Don't flame people because they use other systems. Ever.

Bill Gates is not Satan. Some people claim that Microsoft's business
practices are immoral (or at least overly predatory). I don't know if this
is true, but using such claims as arguments does not make the discussion
productive. Conspiracy theories sound really, really silly (as long as
they're theories; feel free to provide verified facts).

We aren't taking over the world. There's no reason to get offended if
someone claims many more people use Windows than Linux. It's true. It
doesn't matter. No-one knows how many Linux users there are. That doesn't
matter, either. Market share isn't the goal. Solving problems is the goal.
Having fun is the goal.

Linux can't replace Windows. Windows has applications that Linux lacks.
There's no reason to get excited about it. Windows can't replace Linux,
either. No system is perfect for all things. Don't make yourself look
ridiculous by claiming that LaTeX is a better wordprocessor for the masses
than MS Word. If you want Linux to have better applications than Windows,
write them or encourage others with something better than talk.

Avoid crossposts. Many advocacy discussions live long because they're
crossposted to many popular groups for specific systems. Whenever someone
says something about one system, there's a whole bunch of people who will
jump on him, just because he's supporting a system different from their's.
If you must crosspost advocacy discussions, only crosspost to advocacy
groups (such as comp.os.linux.advocacy). Never, ever crosspost to other
groups, it ruins them. If you respond to an advocacy thread that is
crossposted to a non-advocacy group, remove the non-advocacy group.

Keep to the Linux groups. Don't go to non-Linux groups to pick a fight.
Each advocacy group exists for discussion about one particular system.
Don't try to invade other advocacy groups. That's rude. No-one likes
big-mouthed strangers.

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