I play Quake 4 online maybe a couple of times a week. I change my player name occasionally, but often use a player name that references Linux somehow. In the last week, I've had three different situations while playing that were strange. Each time, I was just having fun, minding my own business, and playing Quake DM, when out of nowhere someone says "I hate Linux people" after noticing my in-game name. I ask why they hate Linux users, and they usually just respond with 12 year-old sounding insults. This happened on three different servers within the last several days. What gives? One person tonight just kept saying "Go back to Windows idiot" and stuff like that.

Of course I just laugh and go on, caring less what someone on a video game server who doesn't know me thinks about me, but I just find it strange that some Windows users have this attitude. I can only wonder if they know someone who uses Linux who is a jerk, or of some of these people just have inferiority complexes because they don't understand Linux and they're trying to make themselves feel better. I won't pretend to understand, but I find it peculiar. I've not run into this attitude anywhere other than online games.

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It goes both ways actually. From the Windows side I guess they view people who use Linux or any other alternative in general as either snobbish, when they hear that they are Linux users because they think they are better than Windows users, look down on Windows users, and so by automatically assuming this, they try to "hit first" so to speak, but also it comes from the otherside as well, there are some Linux users out there who do look down on those who use Windows. There is always some jerk in any corner, it can't really be avoided, but you did well, just ignore them. Its as far as their minds can take them, and maybe they really ARE 12 years old players in that gaming site, who knows, who cares, what makes you different from them is that you can rise above them. Regardless of what is one's preferred OS.

Fear of the unknown...
I'm a veteran Macintosh guy. I was handed a free laptop with Windows. I really despise Microsoft and it's OS, so I went with Linux and I love it. I noticed the same attitude towards Mac people from Windows users as well. They just like to stick with what they know, and they fear change and anything different. They act like immature teenagers, because, for the most part, that's who they are.

1st) you mentioned that you just ignore anyone who bothers you about linux. This is quake 4, not the school playground. Blood and guts are the norm, so if anybody bothers you about ANYTHING, like they don't like that your favourite colour is blue, you make an extra effort to blow the crap out of them with a rocket launcher/rail gun etc. etc.

2nd) just cos i'm curious, do you play quake4 on the linux version, or duel boot or something. If you've experienced both are there any differences, especially in performance.

They don't like the fact you can play for long periods of time without saying, "parden me, I need to reboot to free up some resources". Are those the people you are talking about?

Good point

I have Quake III installed on my Linux machine and it seems like there may be a slight performance increase over Windows.

Right now, my Quake 4 install is on a Windows machine, so I can't make the comparison for Q4.

Some online gamers are mental adoloscents who try to project themselves as aggressive and macho. Especially with FPS games. They want you to know they're cool...

Tribalism - just like football (in this country anyway). We feel small and insignificant, so we become part of something bigger - the tribe (or linux/windows community, or football club). Then we have to justify the tribe because if it didn't matter then neither would we (because we have become part of it). So of course we go after the opposing tribe, because they have the power to demonstrate that our tribe (and therefore ourselves) is actually not as strong and all-powerful as we would like (or imagine) it to be.

What's really boring is when you see it between different distributions of linux, or even different releases of software - "version x.0.0 is crap, I use verion x.0.1". We should all be on the same side fighting the evil empire of capitalist greed. In my opinion, the more vehement the anti-whatever statement (like my last sentence), the more insecure is the person who delivers it. So, be nice and give them strength. (Or get them with the rocket launcher!)

I don't subscribe to the "them vs us" approach at all. It's a question of individual's mentality and not much else.

You know, a lot of corporate attention is now pouring into Linux. People who five years ago asked "what is Linux" now know what it is and are moreover interested in it. These days I'm fairly certain that at least people whom I talk to in the outside world and particularly in workplaces are at least aware of Linux and slowly they are getting around to it. The really smart ones realize the cost implications immediately and while they might not embrace Linux immediately as it involves a lot of work in the corporate scenario, at least they understand that more and more work can be ported to an Open Source platform which is good. Because it makes sense to them to think long term and the smart corporate cookies already are starting to look at Linux in a serious way. They realize they cannot have all their eggs in one basket, namely a Microsoft platform. To them, it's logical to embrace a more cost-effective and open solution. The process itself might be slow, but mindsets are changing now...

Ironically and contrary to conventional wisdom I believe it's the younger generation of home users who are more resistant to change, particularly those dependent or addicted to Windows gaming who find it harder to be able to shift to Linux. And hence you find most Linux flamers to be kids or teenagers who feel they're not cool and hence vent their frustration on forums like this.

...and some people just don't understand "why you keep on installing that jerky linux all over again every two weeks and have 3 operating systems to do nerdie stuff, why don't you just sit back and enjoy the video games that work?". Truly, I've heard this from more than one mouth

As a "Linux user" I couldn't understand that attitude neither. I'm a "Windows user" too, on the other hand, after some years of almost sole Linux usage. I don't know if I "see the both sides", but both Linux and Windows users (and perhaps Mac too, but I couldn't know since I haven't had a Mac) do have groups in them that keep one OS better than the other. And knowing that "the other group thinks they've got a better OS than we do", it creates irritation. The same happens on IRC too, on some scale; "only ***holes use client X, the only real client to use is Y!". Sounds stupid? To me it does. Both cases.

Nowadays I've learned, slowly, not to advertise my operating system. Security could be one reason, but really it's just that I like to avoid listening to somebody arguing about Windows-Linux relationshi{p,t}. It's more peaceful that way; after all I don't need my friend to know I use Linux when we're talking or playing something, the point is, the conversation or the game may continue without interruption. Or using a bad example:

Both Windows and Linux (and Mac etc.) can use http protocol, so why should I, or anybody else, care to what kind of system the data goes. The point is, it goes.

Blow 'em Up With You Gun! He He! The Best Way To Torture Stupid People Is To Annoy Them, Make Them Angry, Let Them Punch Their Monitor Screen In Pure Frustration! Yeah!

Very accurate view IMO. I used to add a '|- linux' after my name occasionally in CS when I played under Cedega. I never got flamed and I actually got a few people interested. I'm not one of those convertor types though so I gave them some links and went on my merry way and while I'm convinced none of them made the transition, I was suprised by the positive responses.

I wanted to comment on what was mentioned about people being snobbish. I can honestly say that nearly every MAC person I've met has this attitude that they're better because they use/support MAC/Apple products.

I was talking to a friend about this and he agreed. We came to the conclusion that MAC users are naturally this way because you have to be rich to get a hold of MAC/Apple products. Ok, not ENTIRELY rich, but a good amount of money to blow.

But we only came to this conclusion in good humor. I know that not ALL people who use MAC/Apple are snobbish/rich, but a good majority. I mean, for a decent MAC desktop you have to pay $2000 and that's a ton of money to me for computer hardware. That's about the cost for a high-end Windows gaming rig.

I don't HATE MAC/MAC users, there's nothing wrong there! But MAC/Apple has NEVER interested me in the slightest. I've avoided getting the iPods just to be anti-mainstream lol.

I thought I should mention in this huge post that I absolutely HATE Microsoft, but
I only use Windows because of the gaming. I play Everquest 2 and World of Warcraft. And I really don't feel like trying to get those to run on linux, if it's even possible.

So why do I LOVE linux? I think it has to do with FREEDOM. The freedom to DO anything I want with my system. I can play with any file I want, configure the system any way I want, and with nearly NO restrictions.

Yep, I think this is exactly right. Windows users sometimes feel like Linux users are looking down on them, and in many cases they are right.

It is the same inferiority complex they get when considering Mac users.