Category: Linux
Stereotyping on the Internet is almost unavoidable due to the opacity of the medium and there are now hundreds of types of "fanbois" online since the dawn of the Internet. For tech enthusiasts with plenty of time on their hands, it's easy to troll for the occasional MacOSX, Microsoft, Android, iOS, and Apple fanboi (and yes, Apple has several categories on its own). I'm an unabashed Linux user and Linux evangelist despite being platform agnostic (the industry where I work in requires a certain level of MacOSX and Windows proficiency). Although Linux evangelists make up a small percentage (even smaller than the alleged percentage of Linux desktop users) of computer users out there, there are still hazards to attempting to promote Linux. The difficulties aren't always associated with the freakishly crazy Mac worshipers who would skewer you at any negative comment about their beloved Apple devices:
#1 Too many Linux distributions, not enough hardware
There are so many Linux distributions released regularly that merit attention and praise. However, even if I do run VMWare, VirtualBox, and Xen to test out select Linux distributions regularly (I'm currently testing Fedora 18 Cinnamon), my limited hardware really prevents me from running full installations on different hardware. As a non-gamer, I'm also particularly interested in trying out various ATI and Nvidia video cards to check performance and support. It also takes a considerable amount of time to fully understand how good or bad a Linux release is - reviewers who pan/praise a release after a scant hour on VirtualBox are questionable. As much as I'd like to devote my time working on and using distributions such as Bodhi Linux, Puppy Linux, FreeBSD, Snowlinux, and various Arch-based distros, I really don't have a fleet of desktops, hard drives, or laptops to use.
LXDE notification tray
#2 MacOSX Users and Windows Users
Showing off a Linux desktop to a hardcore Mac or Windows user is like trying to convince someone to like smooth Jazz or even Duke Ellington. I once played some Richard Elliot, Boney James, Grover Washington Jr., Eric Marienthal, and David Sanborn saxophone tracks in my car to a group of friends just as a prologue before I moved on to real jazz by Lester Young and Miles Davis. Their response? "It's making me sleepy" and "Isn't that the music they play in 80s porn?"
I routinely get eviscerated by Mac devotees online about the praises I sing about Linux. In general, Mac users are considerably more harsh than Windows users. My experience with Windows users, even in the technical training classes I used to run, is that they appreciate the advantages of Linux desktop environments and Linux flexibility. They tell me they'd try it and though I know they never do because they're so comfortable with Windows, Windows users are at least civil. Mac users? They always look for what's missing and are quick to praise their platform of choice rather than observe the benefits of a Linux system. Windows users can be critical but they rarely defend their own OS (perhaps due to the amount of unfair dirt heaped on Microsoft's OS over the years). On a recent 3-part review of Linux Mint Cinnamon, I made a passing reference to MacOSX's dock. A day later, I received a comment from a MacOSX user who spent 4 paragraphs chiding me for expressing my opinions about the Dock and Launchpad. Dude, the article was about Linux Mint.
#3 Other Linux Users
Yes, we are our own worst enemy. The proficiency of Linux users and the experience with Linux varies greatly across Internet-dom. There are extremely generous and kind Linux users, honed by years of use, who would support your comments and offer timely and constructive suggestions. On the other hand, there are those battle-hardened Linux veterans who would belittle you for your lack of knowledge of bash scripts, Terminal commands, and innocent awe. Admittedly, I'm prone to gushing about a new discovery or a corrected issue (the Broadcom wireless chipset works!) on a Linux system. Grizzled Linux pros, however, are dismissive and critical (one commentator snidely remarked that "what next? toasters that work?"). Linux isn't perfect but it's free and it's gosh-darn amazing. Why shoot users who appreciate the small things about it? Not everyone needs or wants to be on the cutting-edge and some Linux users can be condescending and cruel towards other Linux users and projects developed by Linux developers. I don't really expect the Linux community to be all Kumbaya, but it's tough to get shot down while being on the same team.
Kitty Pryde assists a frustrated computer user, Cannonball, in Uncanny X-Men #201 (1986)
#4 Extreme Myths about Linux
Slightly relevant digression: Emma Stone's character of Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and Gwen in the widely popular animated series Spectacular Spider-Man is a combination of the original Gwendolyn Stacy from the 60s and Marcy Kane from the Spectacular Spider-Man books of the 80s. Marcy was a lovely (blonde) assistant of Dr. Curt Connors and fellow teaching assistant in E.S.U. for the Physics department with Peter (as seen in Spectacular Spider-Man#32 1979). Discussions about TASM (and Spidey himself) in the forums today are largely uninformed and there are plenty of myths floating out there written by largely ignorant Spidey readers who have never read the books from the 60s-80s and are fans of the garbage Marvel is printing today. Those myths, however, are harmless and real Spidey fans (ahem) have grown up and have largely let it go.
Peter meets the brilliant Marcy Kane for the first time in Spectacular Spider-Man #32 (1979)
In the same way, there are a handful of myths propagated regarding Linux over the years. My professor in Medieval Literature and History used to start off his course by saying that there is truth in every Greek and Roman myth. Darned right. There is some truth to Linux's desktop penetration, hardware issues, and "learning curve" but there are reasons why there are millions of closet Linux users out there. Most of the Linux myths can be debunked by users who have actually used a Linux system for an adequate amount of time. Today's users have the option to leave their preconceived notions out the door, burn a LiveCD or create a LiveUSB, and start running Fedora, Knoppix, Lubuntu, or openSUSE. I personally try not to fight against perceptions about Linux too much. I just want people to give it a go. If they gave it a fair shake (emphasis on "fair"), and realized it wasn't their cup of tea, then they have every right to go get a Windows 8-powered Lenovo Yoga (they're pretty good). And then I patiently wait until I can suggest they'd give a different or new release a try. That's freedom, choice, and Linux in a nutshell.
#5 When NOT to wear your Linux Evangelist hat
Linux conferences in Germany are well and good. Talking to the RD staff of your IT company about Red Hat is also great. However, I really don't recommend promoting Linux during social gatherings or while you're on a date. In fact, MAXIM magazine (or was it FHM?) suggested that talking about Linux during a social gathering is a sure-fire way to drive away a new acquaintance (or a sexy Kate Upton/Kim Hyuna clone).
"I wanna tell you about that new Linux distribution!"
Screen cap from "Touch my Body" music video by Mariah Carey
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