Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:47:15 -0600 From: Tyson Boellstorff <perlcat@alltel.net> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Why FreeBSD not popular on hardware vendors Message-ID: <200812111447.15299.perlcat@alltel.net> In-Reply-To: <20081211195504.GA15968@kokopelli.hydra> References: <20081207093713.O5433@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> <20081211203121.L1372@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> <20081211195504.GA15968@kokopelli.hydra>
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On Thursday 11 December 2008 13:55:04 Chad Perrin wrote: > On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 08:32:20PM +0100, Wojciech Puchar wrote: > > >Please stop trolling. > > > > having different opinion than yours isn't trolling. > > and i WILL NOT stop writing my opinions just because your is different. > > It's not just that you have a different opinion than me -- it's that > every time someone brings up anything related to migration from some > other OS to FreeBSD, you basically tell them to go away. This is > unproductive, leads to endless argument on the mailing list, and > generally makes everyone unhappy. That sounds suspiciously like trolling > to me. In Wojciech's defense, he is technically skilled, has found use for FreeBSD, and spends his time on the mailing list answering questions. I enjoy his opinions, and if FreeBSD ever needed a BOFH, he'd be my first choice. Not to say that he knows everything about everything -- that's my Ex's job. The answers he gives are somewhat abrupt and definitely coloured by his experiences and ego -- if you want your hand held, he is not your guy. However, he has valid points, and isn't trolling. It's just who he is. It's a cultural thing, and his input is valuable enough that I don't filter him out or stir him up. If you recall, on the mailing list, there are cautions not to waste people's time with FAQ questions due to the response they may get, and from what I've seen over time, the people on the list have been kind and gone well beyond the 'RTFM' answer I'd have given most inquiries if it was up to me. I guess what I'm saying is that Wojciech acts well within the expected guidelines on the list, and if you don't like his answers, you certainly are not obligated to respond. I don't respond to 99% of his responses, but I am seeing a dogpile coming on, and I'm not so sure that's a good idea. If we want FreeBSD to grow to where vendors pick up obscure and not-so-obscure devices and support it more than it is now, we need publicity. If we need publicity, we need marketing types. If we need marketing types, we need to pay them, and we need to put up with them, and even be nice to them. I'm not so sure I want to pay that price. As it stands right now, it's a meritocracy -- those with the skills share their work with others with the skills. It is bound together by the respect we have for each other, and there's not much name-calling going on. The product is technically sound, has better hardware support than other *ixes (I run OpenBSD on servers -- but not on the laptop beause of the lack of laptop support), and gets the job done well. The documentation is simply phenomenal. I'm good with that. I'm also more than pleased that there are barriers to entry based upon a basic unix knowledge level -- I've had one too many encounters with the unwashed to want to go that direction. Linux developers spend more time catering to that crowd, and IMO, it suffers for it as much as it benefits from it. If someone wants to commercialize FreeBSD, they are welcome to do so within the terms of the license -- the more the merrier. But asking the list to hand-hold is a bit much -- we're adults here with real jobs that we should be doing. Getting an opinion from a person with skills isn't such a bad thing, and I think the list benefits from his knowledge. To be completely honest, I'd rather get the right information from a person who cannot relate than no answer at all from people who are more friendly.
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