Comment Who is arrogant? (Score 2) 375
Although I did not read the article referenced, I do have a few things to say about the supposed arrogance of the linux community.
I have heard many people that the linux community is closed to outsiders. I spent a fair amount of time on irc in #gimp or #e whilst trying to figure out CVS and the hows and whys behind getting CVS code to compile (and work). Having little knowledge of C, it sometimes was duanting, but I always found help. I also saw many people looking for help and not getting it. Instead, they often got a response that, taken out of context, might seem quite arrogant. I have no special standing in the linux community, nor have I made any real contributions, besides helping new users along where I could. So why did I get helped where others got snubbed? The answer, of course, is in the phrasing of the question. If someone comes in and spams a whole channel with rude, persistant demands for assistance, they are not likely to get anywhere. On the other hand, a polite manner, a willingness to read documentation, and a sense of humour, in my experience, are almost always met in kind. I work in the technical support industry, and this is true across the board: rude, arrogant people get treated rudely and arrogantly. On the other hand if it seems that someone is trying to be a part of the solution, I'm more than happy to give them a nudge in the right direction.
The linux community has something to be proud of, and that pride, looked upon by someone who doesn't know how special linux and the community is might misconstrue that pride as arrogance. Part of that pride comes from the gradual mastery of what can sometimes be a quite unruly beast. Those who want a quick-fix solution every time the click on something and what they were expecting doesn't happen isn't going to get too much respect from a community that takes pride in finding solutions and learning for the future.
Many people have fallen into the mindset that if something doesn't work you immediately call someone and ream them out. This mentality doesn't fit too well into the GNU style (obviously) and this sort of approach will be immediately classed by those used to fixing their own problems as arrogant and not worthy of time. Who wants to put up with the abuse, especially if they are not getting paid?
Well, I suppose I've made the same point in a few different ways by now. Having said all that, I should point out that I have come across a few people that truly deserve to be called arrogant, immature, and closed-minded. Judging the linux community by these people is a bit like judging a style of music by one band. In anything there are always some gems, some coal, and everything else in between. We are all responsible for how we look to "the outside", and as such, we as a community should take care; I'm sure that we'd rather be looked upon as a gem than a lump of coal.
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I have heard many people that the linux community is closed to outsiders. I spent a fair amount of time on irc in #gimp or #e whilst trying to figure out CVS and the hows and whys behind getting CVS code to compile (and work). Having little knowledge of C, it sometimes was duanting, but I always found help. I also saw many people looking for help and not getting it. Instead, they often got a response that, taken out of context, might seem quite arrogant. I have no special standing in the linux community, nor have I made any real contributions, besides helping new users along where I could. So why did I get helped where others got snubbed? The answer, of course, is in the phrasing of the question. If someone comes in and spams a whole channel with rude, persistant demands for assistance, they are not likely to get anywhere. On the other hand, a polite manner, a willingness to read documentation, and a sense of humour, in my experience, are almost always met in kind. I work in the technical support industry, and this is true across the board: rude, arrogant people get treated rudely and arrogantly. On the other hand if it seems that someone is trying to be a part of the solution, I'm more than happy to give them a nudge in the right direction.
The linux community has something to be proud of, and that pride, looked upon by someone who doesn't know how special linux and the community is might misconstrue that pride as arrogance. Part of that pride comes from the gradual mastery of what can sometimes be a quite unruly beast. Those who want a quick-fix solution every time the click on something and what they were expecting doesn't happen isn't going to get too much respect from a community that takes pride in finding solutions and learning for the future.
Many people have fallen into the mindset that if something doesn't work you immediately call someone and ream them out. This mentality doesn't fit too well into the GNU style (obviously) and this sort of approach will be immediately classed by those used to fixing their own problems as arrogant and not worthy of time. Who wants to put up with the abuse, especially if they are not getting paid?
Well, I suppose I've made the same point in a few different ways by now. Having said all that, I should point out that I have come across a few people that truly deserve to be called arrogant, immature, and closed-minded. Judging the linux community by these people is a bit like judging a style of music by one band. In anything there are always some gems, some coal, and everything else in between. We are all responsible for how we look to "the outside", and as such, we as a community should take care; I'm sure that we'd rather be looked upon as a gem than a lump of coal.
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