Is the Linux community too passionate?
It would appear to be so, yes. But, surely, those who develop Linux distros intend for it to (albeit) one day, be mainstream, whereas those who use it seem to have entirely different plans, and, in the wake of my previous two articles, would die before it got that far.
So, back on topic, why should you never write anything about Linux? My previous two articles were met with mixed reactions. The one saying whether Linux would come out trumps thanks to the MS business plan, was met positively, finding it's way around the world into numerous languages. The second (more biggoted effort) was stating why (in my opinion) Linux could benefit from becoming *more like* Windows. This (obviously enough) was met with some serious opposition. I believe the correct term would be 'flaming'.
I feel that only on the topic of Linux can you receive such a 'spirited' response, but few making valid comments. The article itself was a positive one, expressing my own opinion on how I feel Linux could grow, not saying "Linux sucks the fat one", but that it needs a corporate image upgrade. Yet, this was still met with (sometimes aggressive), with only 1/15 replies on LinuxToday.com offering anything constructive (or even in the ballpark of educated - thankyou to Mr Steiner for a sensible reply).
From what I gather from speaking to friends and other developers, this is a common feeling, that Linux users can be startlingly aggressive and narrow-minded, with anything that DARE QUESTION THE ULMIGHTY POWER OF TEH LINUX being stabbed with a thousand flaming replies. Why? If I enter an ATi site and express a distaste for the x1900xtx, I'm traditionally met with reasons why the card is good (as an example) rather than being shouted down.
Linux is good, but it has more potential. Until the more militant users can offer real constructive comments when material surfaces that doesn't bend over infront of Linus himself, then where does this leave us? Not once have I been met with non-constructive comments when slating Macs or MS, but with Linux - you better make sure you're man enough to be called a n00b a thousand times over.
The whole community can't be like this? Surely. I would love to know whether this is just a personal observation or whether it happens more-often, because it is a genuine concern that once again, a few could ruin it for everyone else.
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