Bill Dog's Journal: This is your brain on Linux

It can often be seen a Slashdotter referring to "Windows fanboys".

There is no law of conservation of fanboism, where somehow for every amount of zealotry there must be an equal but opposite amount of it. That despite Linux fanbois urging and derision some still prefer to stick with Windows, does not mean that Windows is about as much of a flaming passion for them.

Repeat after me (and this applies to politics as well): I am *not* basically just like you only on the other side of the issue(s). Many people cannot seem to really conceive just how different other people can be from them.

So another example often seen is when someone posts something they like about Windows, and it's met with the "shill" retort. As if the thinking [which I don't really think is taking place] is that if oneself hates Microsoft's products, then of course everyone must, and therefore evidence of what seems like the thinking of one of their products as being okay could really only be explainable as having been bought and paid for. That is, since that's the only way a Linux nutboy could ever conceivably be caused to do such a debauched thing, that must then be the only way such a thing could occur!

Not an OS problem

[jkxx]

The "fanboism" seen on this web site transcends product lines ($OS is just a tool for a job..) and is more about the ideology of the developers behind a given OS or another product. As such it's not directly related to either Linux or Windows themselves, but to the principles embodied by these OSes. I'll leave the question of zealotry to others as I'm not an export on it. Back to ideologies, Linux and Windows represent the two extremes in the spectrum of openness. One is about having everything left to th

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[Bill Dog]

...is more about the ideology of the developers behind a given OS...

Okay then this JE's thesis put another way: There is no law of conservation of existence or amount of ideology.

...the principles embodied by these OSes.

Which is in no way widely agreed upon what these might be, or that those embodied by each even relate.

..., Linux and Windows represent the two extremes in the spectrum of openness.

Windows is only an extreme on this continuum of your picking, and how you define the subject you've labeled it

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[jkxx]

Quite so. My post was an attempt to show this is about values, and about a difference in the values of each group. It too is subject to opinion. Windows is not the best example of a locked down system either, as iOS fits that better, so a better extremes comparison would be Linux vs iOS.

What I was getting at is that (enthusiastic) Linux users tend to mesh political views and expectations with that of the OS whereas Windows users don't or at least not to the same degree. The end result is miscommunication

In fact, I seem to think quite the opposite

[Marxist Hacker 42]

*disclaimer- under these rules I'm a Windows fanboi* in that even when I had 8 machines constantly running in my house, 2 used Linux and the rest were windows, and now the embedded stuff (routers) are linux based, my phone is Windows Mobile, my wife's phone is Android, and our netbooks run Windows XP and Windows 7 respectively.*

NOBODY in my house likes Windows. NOBODY. We use it because we like applications that are not available in Open Source form- Activesync/Outlook for me, KidKeeper Daycare Bookkeepin

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[Bill Dog]

I have an early '09 netbook that will get become unresponsive for a few seconds if I'm loading a page on Slashdot that has 500 comments, but that's got to be more of this place's crappy code than anything else because I don't get that on any other web site.

So I don't mean this as insulting as it sounds, but basically I think you just "aren't doing it right". The 9" and 10" netbooks didn't have the resolution to surf without incessant scrolling or even to display the dialogs of some apps. And the keyboards w

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[snowgirl]

I have an early '09 netbook that will get become unresponsive for a few seconds if I'm loading a page on Slashdot that has 500 comments, but that's got to be more of this place's crappy code than anything else because I don't get that on any other web site.

Same thing here. Slashdot relies heavily upon Javascript client-executed code to get some features, and that causes massive slowdowns on articles with anymore more than 200 or so comments. It's kind of frustrating honestly...

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[snowgirl]

The 9" and 10" netbooks didn't have the resolution to surf without incessant scrolling or even to display the dialogs of some apps.

I've noticed that using my 10" netbook requires a paradigm shift in using the computer. I can't use multiple dialogs at the same time, just about everything needs to be done fullscreen. It's different to get used to, but it's not like it's a fault.

Meanwhile, I do miss my 20" Cinema Display and screen real estate to do multiple things at the same time.

And the keyboards were sized suitable only for children and non touch typists.

And those of us who are stupid thing and have crazy small fingers. I'll agree that most adults would find the small size of the keyboard frustrating. Howev

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[Bill Dog]

However, the "ergonomic keyboards" that I see out there make me feel like I'm trying to flap my arms like a chicken, the require me to hold my elbows so far away from my body...

Thanks for the good laugh I got outta this, snowgirl. :) I don't like those either, a smidgen of which for looking like an earthquake rippled down the middle of them and upheaved the two halves, but mostly for the same reason as the tinier netbooks, because I can't just go without thinking about it in typing on them. And I have small

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[Marxist Hacker 42]

My wife's Acer Aspire One 10" came from the store with 512MB of memory and Windows 7. My Acer Aspire One 11" came with Windows XP and 1GB of memory.

Yeah- it's kind of like a girl asking you if she looks good in a sweater. What do clothes have to do with how a person looks?

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[Bill Dog]

But you must've heard, on Slashdot and/or elsewhere, that Vista (which along with 7 is Windows version 6.x) wants to pre-allocate over a gig of RAM, and that's before loading any apps. I suppose you've already tried acquiring a copy of XP Home to put on it.

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[Marxist Hacker 42]

Actually, with the job search- haven't had time or money in the same week.

Would rather put MeeGo on it if I was going to swtich over- MeeGo was designed for it, plus I can download a copy from the Intel AppUp Developer website for free.

The only question is, can I get KidKeeper to run in Wine?