This is an open letter to all Linux and FOSS fanatics; Shut up and show some respect.
Thank you for telling us about your operating system and Open Source software. We are not interested in using it and would appreciate it if you refrained from attempting any further persuasion.
It’s fine to tell someone about something they may not know about, but you shouldn’t need to convince someone to use it. If it’s so great, it should be able to stand up on its own merit; It should sell itself.
Many of us use open source software right alongside proprietary software. We don’t care about your ideology, we simply care about what works best for us. Our decision to use certain software is purely pragmatic. We don’t let ideology get in the way of using the right tool for the job.
You’ve told us how great you think open source is already, now please stop shouting and respect our decisions.
Comments
First, thank you admin for post my long tweet here.
Second, I’m not the original author of that manifesto, so I would thank to anonymous for those words. I only copy/paste to my twitter account. I edited that link so now it shows where I found it (BinPlay)
Third, this is one of the best funking things I ever read. Please spread it, on any Linux site, Slashdot, Pogson, etc. just as the Stallman’s meme. Retwetted, share on facebook, anything.
For reference, the same thing from the point of view of an Ubuntu user: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=865750
@IMGX64 The OP starts off so well, but then starts making stupid suggestions to subvert. Things like “carry a liveCD around with you”. You can bet that even the most hardcore Windows or OSX fan is not carrying an install disc with them. So why should Ubuntu users?
Well, you shouldn’t expect to agree with him 100%, but I still find his approach alright.
“Carry a livecd or usb so that when you are using someone else’s computer you can use that on it to do your stuff.”
Some people worry that other people’s computers might have keyloggers or such. A live CD/USB is one solution.
“They will naturally be curious when you boot up to it. Just use it, and if they ask you questions patiently and kindly answer them.”
Seems reasonable to me to use other people’s curiosity like that. And if they’re not interested, no harm done.
When I use my Ubuntu laptop, some people ask me unprovoked about it (usually, “why does your Windows look weird?”). Every single one of them lost interest when I tell them it’s not Windows. I’m fine with that.
“Some people worry that other people’s computers might have keyloggers or such.”
It really is a fundamental difference in attitude, isn’t it? I, as a (rather reluctant) Windows user, read the bit about carrying a live CD around and thought “that’s nice. Remarkably civilised and polite and unobtrusive for a Loon.”
The default Loon rationale, apparently, is paranoia.
There are big red pills for that sort of thing, you know.
Paranoia is certainly not the only rationale. I was merely trying to use an uncontroversial argument, based on the assumption that some people here have the idea that “Linux is fundamentally flawed and is good for nothing”, and will likely argue endlessly about whatever other rationale I put. (for example, “because it’s faster” -> “No it isn’t”. “because I like to keep my work in one place” -> “No you don’t, use cloud services instead”. “because I’m comfortable with it” -> “MyUnixNeeds™[1]”)
So yes, I was trying to avoid an irrelevant discussion, and apparently failed.
[1] http://www.tmrepository.com/trademarks/myunixneeds/
Eh?
Nobody has ever said any of that.
If Linux is faster for you, then it’s faster. If you like to keep all your work in one place (and I certainly wouldn’t recommend either Samba or NFS), and that place is Linux, then fine. If you’re comfortable with it, then carry on.
Irrelevant or not, I think it’s symptomatic that a Linux defender (I use the term loosely; pick your own) considers the primary purpose of a Live CD to be the avoidance of nasty, nasty, Windows germs (implied by your comment).
So sue me.
“Nobody has ever said any of that.”
It’s a hypothetical situation, but you never know. My comments have been taken way too literally too often. You just did that.
“... considers the primary purpose of a Live CD to be the avoidance of nasty, nasty, Windows germs (implied by your comment).”
I did not. I said it was an undisputable use for it that I specifically chose because I thought (wrongly) that it would spur little discussion.
“The OP starts off so well, but then starts making stupid suggestions to subvert.”
If you can’t push, subvert.
It a cult thing.
“Some people worry that other people’s computers might have keyloggers or such. A live CD/USB is one solution.”
No it isn’t, since a live CD based Os could still mess with the data on the disk, no sane computer owner would allow such use.
Further, an unpatched LiveCD OS itself could very well be an infection vector – the infection could transfer to the OS on disk, or even worse on the firmware of any given component of said PC.
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Paranoid lunatics should not use other people’s computers. Period.
(It’s for everybody else’ benefit, TBH.)
IMGX64@JUL 8, 2011 9:19 AM:
It’s a hypothetical situation that you just made up. Other hypothetical situations include, but are not limited to, Microsoft charging $10,000 per licence; the EU banning each and any use of Windows; aliens specifically targeting Ubuntu users for anal probes; and so on.
I can only pass comment on the hypothetical situations in front of me. And, like it or not, your first one (key-logging) was so bizarre — I’d never considered it, myself, although there was that “how to use an internet bank account” thing a while ago — that I felt it signified a mind-set, or something. Your later three had the appearance of straw-men. (And I’m sorry I say that and I know it’s overused.)
We could probably both do with lightening up. Is “irrelevant” discussion such a bad thing on a web-site? Heck, Slashdot would have died years ago under that rubric.
Some might consider that a price worth paying, of course.
Alright, you win. Paranoia is not a good reason.
“Carry a livecd or usb so that when you are using someone else’s computer you can use that on it to do your stuff. They will naturally be curious when you boot up to it. Just use it, and if they ask you questions patiently and kindly answer them.”
If the computer in question is a laptop and has an old BIOS (more than 4 years old), then it might have the “bad ACPI problem”, which causes a linux distro to shut down perfectly, but when you try to turn the laptop on again, it may lock at the bios password screen. The solution is to unplug it and remove the battery, which will reset the ACPI, but if you don’t know that, hair pulling minutes will almost certainly follow. ( http://tinyurl.com/6cp54m7 )
Try to patiently and kindly answer that!
If you are worried about keyloggers, you 'll be better off with BartPE.
The real funny thing is that the workaround exists but for some reason not be incorporated in linux distros.
“BartPE”
Doesn’t work with Windows 7 or Vista.
What KurkosDR described is exactly the issue I was talking about – the LiveCD OS changed some settings in the PC and issues arose – this means that any OS must be approved by the computer owner before use, the “it’s only a Live CD type OS” excuse doesn’t change anything.
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A side note, for those interested:
Windows 8 will have a “install to USB stick” mode which will enable one to carry a whole OS and use it on any computer.
I expect MS will thoroughly test it and make sure no unintended changes to underlying hardware and file systems can occur.
(This is something Linux vendors should have done as well… but god forbid a well working DurdenOS.)
also here: https://nonlinux-manifesto.jottit.com/
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