Linux Community: A Change in Ideology
Posted 07-04-2010 at 02:31 AM by jay_pablo_69
Tags ideology, linux, linux community
Greetings,
I'm not used to long speeches and long starts so I'll just hit it straight....
It's so nice that over the past few months (a year or two) the mindset/ideology of Linux users and the Linux community has undergone a drastic change and has taken a turn for the better. I remember when I was trying to decide whether or not not move from MS (Microsoft) Windows and which Linux distro to choose, this was few few months ago (I haven't really moved completely to Linux, but i use it actively now from a USB, Windows is just for a few things.... occasionally), man .... it was a war! The Linux users on the web were so harsh and raw that it was more like a barbarian fighting for something. They were trashing everything about MS, even few people that I ran into on the web and others that commented on certain articles said that they were considering moving to Linux but after reading about the attitude of the Linux community, they decided to stick with Windows until these Linux users develop some form of manners and etiquette cum responsible behaviour. I didn't blame them though, I really understood them and considered it myself. If a community that has developed something this great cannot afford some manners and good behaviour and civilised approach, how can they expect to win people over. A community should be about assistance, good behaviour and civilised manners. This war that was going on then kept MS on top. Using Linux, one can hardly find a good blog or assistance on the net without running into some "kids" arguing over which distro is better or some childish disputes that user A knows nothing about Linux or command and so is sticking to a distro tailored for "kids". They engage in wars and drag over meaningless stuffs, thereby scaring away newbies. If this should continue, I wonder how they expect the Linux community to grow or what the future holds for the community and software's life span.
But then again, this was few months ago. Not that this kind of childish acts and crude attitudes have vanished from the community, but some of them have grown up while many more have decided to focus on helping each other and strengthening the community, without regards for which distro one is using, thereby opening the door for an influx of newbies and large co-operations using Linux in their daily operations and developing Linux-based softwares. So let US all stand together and help out newbies and old folks as well because "no man is an island" and nobody knows it all.
Our ideology and attitude determines the future of this wonderful community.
Long live the Linux Community!
Hail Linux!!!
I'm not used to long speeches and long starts so I'll just hit it straight....
It's so nice that over the past few months (a year or two) the mindset/ideology of Linux users and the Linux community has undergone a drastic change and has taken a turn for the better. I remember when I was trying to decide whether or not not move from MS (Microsoft) Windows and which Linux distro to choose, this was few few months ago (I haven't really moved completely to Linux, but i use it actively now from a USB, Windows is just for a few things.... occasionally), man .... it was a war! The Linux users on the web were so harsh and raw that it was more like a barbarian fighting for something. They were trashing everything about MS, even few people that I ran into on the web and others that commented on certain articles said that they were considering moving to Linux but after reading about the attitude of the Linux community, they decided to stick with Windows until these Linux users develop some form of manners and etiquette cum responsible behaviour. I didn't blame them though, I really understood them and considered it myself. If a community that has developed something this great cannot afford some manners and good behaviour and civilised approach, how can they expect to win people over. A community should be about assistance, good behaviour and civilised manners. This war that was going on then kept MS on top. Using Linux, one can hardly find a good blog or assistance on the net without running into some "kids" arguing over which distro is better or some childish disputes that user A knows nothing about Linux or command and so is sticking to a distro tailored for "kids". They engage in wars and drag over meaningless stuffs, thereby scaring away newbies. If this should continue, I wonder how they expect the Linux community to grow or what the future holds for the community and software's life span.
But then again, this was few months ago. Not that this kind of childish acts and crude attitudes have vanished from the community, but some of them have grown up while many more have decided to focus on helping each other and strengthening the community, without regards for which distro one is using, thereby opening the door for an influx of newbies and large co-operations using Linux in their daily operations and developing Linux-based softwares. So let US all stand together and help out newbies and old folks as well because "no man is an island" and nobody knows it all.
Our ideology and attitude determines the future of this wonderful community.
Long live the Linux Community!
Hail Linux!!!
Total Comments 3
Comments
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It were individuals, not community. Or, perhaps, website/irc/other_location was unmoderated or such things were allowed in there. Or, are you talking about LQ? Since LQ is really big resource, we can't blame moderators for missing some entries, it's impossible to keep everything in sight.
And it doesn't mean entire linux community as it is has changed. Individuals have. As you clearly stated yourself.
Yes, let us unite and help. I don't remember now what was the reason I first came here. Probably, to say thanks for the famous "Learn the DD command" thread by AwesomeMachine
I always help when I have free time.Posted 07-04-2010 at 06:57 AM by Web31337 
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I saw a start to a change in attitudes going as far back as a year or probably even two ago. Sure, the Linux community still likes to have a b1tch about Microsoft and there's plenty of scope for healthy debates on the pros and cons of various distros, desktop environments and so-on. However, I think a lot of people do now make an effort to keep a civil tounge.
Having said that, if the only thing people can come up with against the Linux community is that they've experienced short, sharp reponses at times, then I think they're being a bit over sensitive. The amount of benefit to be had far outweighs that!Posted 07-04-2010 at 03:54 PM by rich_c
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It's more about Freedom than it is about manners!
Ubuntu s changing things, and it's a mixed bag, too.
When Stallman cuts his hair -- beware!Posted 07-05-2010 at 06:08 PM by SalmonEater
