Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:11:11 -0600 From: Chad Perrin <perrin@apotheon.com> To: FreeBSD <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Is this something we (as consumers of FreeBSD) need to be aware of? Message-ID: <20120611161111.GC20613@hemlock.hydra> In-Reply-To: <20120610072320.43359222@scorpio> References: <d0d8129924f70fbd791ef9e3fb088e9b@anonymitaet-im-inter.net> <0B9FF530-AAE8-4411-8B06-2AD5662CB803@my.gd> <20120609164855.GB31721@hemlock.hydra> <1D0D020B-1F05-4546-A15C-8A721C7BC4AC@my.gd> <20120610072320.43359222@scorpio>
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On Sun, Jun 10, 2012 at 07:23:20AM -0400, Jerry wrote: > > It is fairly easy to understand both sides in this discussion. When > Microsoft supporters refer to open-source software as "open-sore" or > "socialist-software" the FOSS community becomes enraged. However, when > the open-source community retaliates it is considered acceptable. Quite > frankly I read far more Microsoft based forums than open-source based > ones and I can say without a doubt, at least in my experience, > Microsoft proponents never attack open-source with the venomous hatred > that open-source attacks Microsoft. In fact, the majority of Microsoft > users that I know could not care less about what they consider an > overly burdensome (geeky) open-source operating system. > > The whole argument can probably be boiled do to this: > > Disparaging other operating systems (Microsoft) and pointing out its > failures is beneficial, constructive and therapeutic. Pointing out > problems and failures regarding your own OS is destructive and flame > bait. Perhaps you're spending too much time in the community venues of open source software projects. In communities devoted to use of software peddled by Microsoft, the reverse would be true, and this seems to me not the least bit surprising, or even particularly inappropriate. When you stroll into a venue where it can reasonably be assumed there is a general consensus position of favoring one thing over another (such as a sports bar in Colorado, which would likely favor the Broncos over the Raiders), then start loudly proclaiming the evils of the favored thing relative to the unfavored (such as talking about how much better the Raiders are than the Broncos, and how the Broncos fans are all a bunch of pansy whiners, as you tend to do about open source software users and advocates while you're hanging out here on a FreeBSD mailing list), what you are contributing to the discussion may quite understandably be called "flamebait". Expressing surprise that someone would apply such a label in these circumstances is, in my estimation, at least disingenuous if not wholly ludicrous, directly deceptive, and/or frankly dumb. I, for one, generally try to avoid saying nonfactually disparaging things about Microsoft or (especially) users of software peddled by Microsoft in venues like this mailing list, in part because it's a bit unsportsmanlike, and in part because it doesn't really contribute anything positive. It's kind of mind-boggling that people like you make no evident effort to avoid saying disparaging things about FreeBSD and its users in venues like this mailing list, where it's trollish, does not contribute anything positive, and directly offends large numbers of people subscribed to the list. -- Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]
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