FortKnox's Journal: Cliff, I think they got you...

I'm speaking of the recent Ask Slashdot.

How I read it was:
I have three young children (starts off nice and heartwarming). Windows crashs when my youngest uses it (I'm shedding a tear, now). They only use it for games, chatting, and other stuff that is difficult in Linux (requires extra steps and loopholes). I want to force them to switch to Linux (hey, look at me, providing a glimpse of the future where linux is better than MS). Also note that I'm a good parent by putting in stuff about parental filters and how I observe my children, which really doesn't pertain to the story, whatsoever.

Notice I didn't even say there was a question. There really isn't. I am in a sour mood (hey, tommy maddox got hospitalized, and I almost picked every losing team this week!), but I think this was a big troll that was posted as a story.

Not that one...

[Otter]

I don't know about today's post -- it's this software suggestion for children question [slashdot.org] that I was sure Cliff had been trolled on. Apple ///'s, "Linux 7.3" -- and a question about which shell, editor and window manager to use!!

I was going to say something but decided not to spoil the fun and just noted it in my journal. Checking back, I'm surprised only one poster realized it was a troll.

Indeed

[JMZero]

I had sort of a sad laugh at that story, too. But think of all the money that guy will save by... uh... not using the OS software he already owns. At least he answers the question of why people dual boot XP and Linux - it's so they can play all those Win 98 games in a stable manner under Linux.

I almost feel stupid pointing out how stupid the article is. Perhaps Cliff was the one doing the trolling?

Re:Indeed

[Pengo]

Hehe, my thoughts exactly. I guess if your so poor you can afford to download an ISO and burn an image, on a CD Writer, spend hours twiddle-f'n with the box to get it how you want it... you get the point.

I use linux because I prefer it, not because I can't afford an alternative. Hell, I think I have paid for at LEAST 15 licenses of windows in various way-shapes-versions or forms for my home over the years.

Most of those where not consious decisions either, but came with hardware I purchased.

If the poor bloke is too poor to buy full price windows, I will sell him a old version of 98/95 I have around for 75% off retail! :)

Maybe not a troll?

[cscx]

It's the sad truth, but I can vouch that there is definitely a few extremist Linux zealots on Slashdot that may actually consider pushing their "political" OS views on their young children. Sad, really. Just like studies have shown that racist tendencies, political leanings, and even your stance on religion and other personal matters such as that come from your parents, I think this could actually be true -- someone so obsessed with Linux and the whole "Free as in Freedom" mantra could actually believe in it so strongly that they're willing to push it on anyone... even their own kids.

Re:Maybe not a troll?

[Cliff]

Or it could be the parent can't afford Microsoft software on their computers.

Occam's Razor, favors this reason, if only because it's the most likely.

Re:Maybe not a troll?

[cscx]

However, he did state in the writeup that "[his] real motivation to do this is to save money and to teach [his] children that sometimes the best isn't always the most expensive. Also, being the cheap bastard that [he is], [he's] looking at all the money [he's] spent on Windows XP, Office and all the games over the years."

Which means that he does seem to have the money, but he is trying to make a point to his children, whom I think, at least at this stage of the game 1) couldn't give two shits about what OS they're running (which could lend itself in support of his cause) but at the same time if I know kids the way I think I do, they only 2) care that _all_ their software, games, etc work, and don't want to be the one left out ("well, that game work's on Jimmy's computer, why not mine?!?")

Which is why I think it's politically motivated. But regardless, anything that generates > 800 comments is worth posting IMHO. :)

You do not realize...

[Cliff]

How many times someone tells me that [topic x] is the worse story that they have seen on Slashdot, yet [topic x] generates at least 600-3000 comments. It's always only one person, too (the more people talk to me about something, the more credit you have to give them. "z people can't be wrong." as long as z >> 1. After the first few times, I've learned to stop listening for exactly the reason you have mentioned.

Looked like a giant troll to me

[jawtheshark]

You might find my opinion harsch, but I read that story and though: "Let the flamewars be opened". Honestly, if you want to expose your kids to different OSes, expose them. Actually, NO, use them yourself. Inherently we are apes: they will imitate you. That's the way we learn. That's how I learned! My dad was into computers years ago, and I watched him, learned from him and surpassed him. That's what kids are supposed to do.

And what made me really laugh was that Windows XP crashed all the time and his 98 worked fine. Look, I don't have any XP experience, but Windows NT4 and Windows 2000 have been very stable to me and the 9x kernels were -let's say this nicely- "less stable". But then, people claiming problems about NT4/W2K instability are often crappy admins that couldn't admin a Linux box either.

I'll stop ranting, I already have lost two Karma in two days... Even if this is a journal, I know this journal is frequented quite a bit. So I'll shut up now.

*sigh*

[Cliff]

Is the article a troll? When I read thru it, it certainly didn't sound like one.

It's still a valid question (turn the cynicism down a few notches and read it again, please). If I had to worry about whether a question was a troll or not, nothing would get posted to Ask Slashdot. Certainly not some of the more "popular" ones that have been done in the past. If you don't the subject matter, then stating so and stating why in an intelligently worded comment (not a flame, for chrissakes, which half the posts here qualify for) would be appreciated.

Is a parent so wrong for wanting their children to learn computers but need to do so on a budget which effectively precludes Microsoft's ever-changing licensing scheme?? That's what I red from the referenced submission, and that reasoning alone was the primary factor in posting it. I know of too many young parents in this situation (poor, with computers that can't run the latest and greatest from Microsoft). I'll be damned if I don't post questions that might be useful to them because I think the submittor is trolling, anmd it would depress me immensely if this is all anyone said about the topic.

Seriously, I can't look at these submissions and think anything like how FK's impression went. If I did that this job would have driven me insane within the first two weeks! Submittors to Ask Slashdot automatically get the benefit-of-the-doubt. If I can suss out that their question is BS from the text, it gets deleted, however sometimes the plain simple fact is that troll-or-no-troll, sometimes in the context of my job, it just doesn't matter.

Sometimes questions that need asking will not be the popular or the easy or the safe questions, and it is something that I have to bear in mind, constantly, on this side of the curtain.

Please be aware of this.