| A word on analogies. Jul 6 2008 on group Linux Peace | [sigh] Analogies are never perfect. It was a base explanation for those who are lost in this argument. Simply put, nothing is a car, but a car. You can never perfect an analogy, its just a tool. By arguing over the car analogy, you have missed the meaning and reverted back to the semantics argument of Linux vs Linux/GNU, etc., except you have replaced part of it with an analogy. Look at the two words of the group. If you are not concerned with Linux nor peace, I do not see of what concern this group is to you anyway. I just want the infighting to stop, however, it would appear that many are just too stuck in this mindset. There is a cliche old saying: You can't see the forest for the trees. (Please don't pick that apart too.) |
| | | An OS is like a car. Jul 5 2008 on group Linux Peace | Some people staring at the flame war about to break out here may be completely dumbfounded. Lets face it, not all people get the whole kernel, desktop environment, etc. difference; many people do not care. I will try to put it simply:
Your OS is a car. In this case, let us say a Ferrari. Many people will buy a car and not care about the internal workings, just that when you press the gas petal, it goes. But for the rest of us:
-The kernel would be the engine. Lets say you are using Linux. The kernel is what makes it what it is. If you replaced the engine of a Ferrari with a lawnmower engine, well, it would no longer be a Ferrari in my book. Also, depending on the model you bought, or the year, there are variations in the making of the engine.
-The desktop environment would be the interior. Gnome, KDE, I don't care which. Different people like different things. Personally I don't like leather seats. You may like one environment more than another, or both equally. Its customization, and its individuality. However, a car does become more difficult to use without a seat. :P
-The extra features would be the applications. Power windows, radio, CD player, upgraded sound system - Multimedia player, messenger, office suite. You can generally get these things on most any car. However, it is part of YOUR car. It is what you want, and it is what you use. Some people need more, some people need less. Beyond that, different models come with different standard (pre-installed) features.
-The model is your distribution. If a Ferrari was Linux, you could get Fedora, OpenSuse, Fedora, PCLinuxOS, etc. They come with variations in engines, interiors, and features. You would buy what is right for you.
-The car as a whole is your OS. Say you don't want a Ferrari, maybe you're more of a Lamborghini person, you can go get BSD. Or maybe you like Ford, well there's Windows for that...
So what does this come down to and why does it matter to this group? Some people think that because others continuously talk about how great their Ferrari is, that they think everything in it is made by Ferrari, and that it is the only type of car. Frankly, many people just don't care. As long as when they step on the gas and it goes, they are happy. Others are car enthusiasts and know every detail about their car. However, some of this same group of people want everyone to state every part of their Ferrari when they talk about it. Why, who knows. Perhaps to clear up ignorance, but some people are very happy to be ignorant. On the other hand, I may know every little bit about my car, but if I always told everyone, it would get annoying and monotonous. So we simply call it a Ferrari, no matter who manufactured the seats.
Which brings me to why this group exists. Many people have come to use Linux, and all the parts thereof. However the users of different distributions, and even desktop environments take it upon themselves to fight over what is best. Like I said before, I may not like leather seats. Its individuality, but some people are narcissistic enough to believe everyone should like what they like. They miss the big picture though. They are all Ferraris. (And if you prefer a Lamborghini or a Lotus, drive one.)
As a last note, people don't drive their cars all the time, and generally don't make war over it. Get up from your computer and walk outside. There's a big world out there while you sit inside rotting in front of your computer arguing over insignificant details. Sure, drive the car, that's why you got it. Just don't sleep in it. |
| | | Re: "Linux peace" Jul 5 2008 on group Linux Peace | I'm glad that you explore alternatives to Linux, and I'm glad you love KDE. That's wonderful, however this group is dedicated to the (broken) Linux community, and the 'fanboy' hatred thereof. Frankly, I have had issues with Gnome and KDE, but I have been known to keep both installed because there are points I like about both environments - but I digress. It is good for the community as a whole when glitches and errors are found and stated, as you have, but only when in a productive matter. That is the only way the programming will get stabler. I am not ignorant enough to believe that the kernels you use are perfect, nor the desktop environments, whatever they may be. I hope that you are helpful enough to pass on the errors through the proper channels or possibly even correct them yourself, depending on your abilities. This group has nothing to do with that, though. It is about unity and moving forward in a civilized manner, something I would think is a noble goal. If you do not like Linux and prefer something else, be it Solaris or (God forbid) Windows, this group then does not even apply to you.
-As a side note, Gnome is not forced on you, nor is Linux. I don't believe anyone said that Linux is the "whole OS". Besides, it is free. Free as in, if you hate the software provided to you enough to use profanity, they (the programmers) would be more than happy to allow you to not use it. In fact, they will allow you to not use it for free. Perhaps you should take advantage of their extreme hospitality. |
| | | Re: Re: Re: Re: My thoughts... Jul 4 2008 on group Unbranded Gnome | You're right. If we have people go out and absolutely demean people for posting here, we'll go nowhere. If the content moves, it will be because the artists did too, and I don't want that. I simply want it on the right site. I think we should get a group [cough] of people to politely put a message like the one you just posted on the misplaced content. I don't think any manual moving will be necessary for quite a while, at least until people are used to the fact that they have their own site for their particular brand. Another step that could be taken is that when you create a really nice GNOME wallpaper, go ahead and make a Ubuntu version too, just keep it on the same post, make it the second download and preview, and make sure that it leads to a correct page for the content in the Ubuntu section. When people click the link and hit that area, it will serve dual purposes: it will show them the existence of the area, and it will ignite their curiosity so that they want to see what else may be posted there.
There is no realistic one step solution to this. It, for lack of a better metaphor, is like taking someone off of drugs. You need to ease them off. If you try to tackle the problem all at one time, it will generally not work.
For people to listen we need to:
1. Be tactful and kind, not rebuking or hateful.
2. Appreciative: we're glad they want to contribute! We just need them to place it in the appropriate area.
3. Set a good example. Show people to the correct site in your own personal work. |
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