Re: [News] Linux Bashing Based on Self Interest, Propaganda, Old Linux Experience, or Lack of Experience
"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:3536452.O2RuDdC7W9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
__/ [ Oliver Wong ] on Wednesday 16 August 2006 23:18 \__
"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1609673.KkYXmlQDIU@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Are you qualified to bash GNU/Linux?
,----[ Quote ]
| The usual sources of this (mis)information are things other people
said
| about GNU/Linux (i.e. heresay), Microsoft propaganda or a personal
| experience. Well the last one can be valid, but not in the context
| I am talking about, not when this personal experience is based on
| ignorance or is just too old to be a valid measure to draw conclusions
| from.
`----
http://www.nuxified.org/are_you_qualified_to_bash_gnu_linux
<quote>
I do suggest not to go spread false conclusions you based on an outdated
experience you may have had with it. If you didn't try GNU/Linux today or
very recently, you pretty much don't have a lot to say about its present
state. If you do want to talk about it then make it clear you are talking
about GNU/Linux *then*, not today. This way you are acknowledging the
source of your conclusions and the fact that they don't apply to the
present state. </quote>
If you didn't try GNU/Linux *TODAY*?! Does Linux really evolve that
rapidly? If I tried installing Debian and got a driver problem that I
could
resolve in 24 hours, is it better to delete and download a more recent
copy
of the ISO than to spend any further time on it, as they've probably
fixed
the problem by now?
Sounds like quite an exageration to me...
I am surprised that you make this argument. Think of it as a figure of
speech. You seem like an intelligent man, so my only explanation to this
would be that you are critical of the author from the get-go.
It's not so much the author (I've never heard of him/her before), but
the stance that I'm critical of. To me, it's remeniscent of the elitist
attitude towards criticizing fine art ("If you don't like this painting,
then you obviously don't know what you're talking about") or the fable of
the Emperor's New Clothes.
The other problem is that if we take the statement to be a figure of
speech, the author doesn't actually say how old your experience has to be
before you are disqualified from criticizing Linux. Is a week too old? A
month? A year? Basically, I see this as a free "shut up your opponent" card,
because it doesn't matter *when* they tried out Linux, you can always say
their experience is too old. (Especially considering Mark's comment that
contributions are made several times a day).
A: "Yeah, I tried out Linux, and I didn't really like it..."
B: "When did you try it?"
A: "Uh... (looking at watch) about 8 minutes ago..."
B: "Well, Linux has changed since then, so your criticism is invalidated."
Sure, contributions might be made to CVS everyday, but if you've hit
a
snag in Linux, what are the chances that the contributions made
specifically address your problem? I think it's much more reasonable to
just try once every release. That is, if you tried Ubuntu's Dappy D., and
it didn't work out, wait for Edgy E..
This, in fact, is where Linux has a /strength/. You have a serious fallacy
there. A Linux user (let us say yourself) actually gains communication
channels with the developers. Not only can you offer a patch, but you can
also request one by filing a bug report. Somebody, one someone else's
payroll, will take care of the issue for you.
I never said that Linux itself is bad. I agree with you that this is a
strength for Linux. What I was saying is that it doesn't make sense to
dismiss criticisms of Linux which are X time units old (whether this be "X
time units old" is "1 day" or "1 week" or "8 minutes" any other value).
Instead, I argued that criticisms should be made against specific releases,
and those criticisms are valid for all eternity against *those specific*
releases.
If I say "the initial release of Edgy Eft couldn't detect my network
card", that statement is true for all time. If some new later release, say
"Furry Fox", is able to detect my network card, that doesn't change my
statement about Edgy Eft.
I hope I managed to clarify my position to you.
- Oliver
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