Elitism amongst Linux users
I have noticed in my travels that a lot of linux users equate a distro like Slack, Debian, and or
a BSD like OpenBSD with l337ness. I find this approach laughable and irritating. I know HP-UX
Solaris, and many linux distros yet do not consider myself leet. I know of several OpenBSD uses who have gone to Mandrake for the support they get for their h/w.
These guys know their stuff, they're just tired of wasting time configuring and hacking a solution. Time is money as well all know.
Any thoughts on this train of thought?
Re: Elitism amongst Linux users
Quote:
Originally posted here by don
I have noticed in my travels that a lot of linux users equate a distro like Slack, Debian, and or
a BSD like OpenBSD with l337ness. I find this approach laughable and irritating. I know HP-UX
Solaris, and many linux distros yet do not consider myself leet. I know of several OpenBSD uses who have gone to Mandrake for the support they get for their h/w.
These guys know their stuff, they're just tired of wasting time configuring and hacking a solution. Time is money as well all know.
Any thoughts on this train of thought?
I think you hit the nail on the head in your own post. You said you know many people who have chosen to use Mandrake as their OS because they're "tired of wasting time configuring and hacking a solution." Those users are chosing their OS because of it's simplicity so that they can concentrate on other things. For most, an OS should be almost transparent. It should simply be the most intelligent way for you to access and do your work. I think those who claim "l33tness" (more on these guys below) are trying to associate themselves with real hackers who are more interested in how the OS runs rather than what it runs. Hackers are just curious folks who want to understand how things work.
There's nothing wrong with SuSE, RedHat, or Mandrake, but they are built for those who want a powerful desktop alternative to Windows. You can always go the long route in configuring things, but there's always an easy way to do it. Hackers aren't necessarily looking for that. Hackers are fascinated by the inner workings of the OS itself. GUI's, RPM's, and auto-installers are great for getting your machine up and running fast so that you can concentrate on something other than the OS (like word processing or programming), but the OS and how it interacts with that word processor is what the hacker wants to concentrate on. In an effort to avoid the extra clutter of GUI's and RPMs, many hackers opt for those more streamlined distros like Slackware that can offer lots of challenges.
Some new Linux users like to brag about the fact that they are running a more challenging OS that doesn't do everything for you to other users, but it's a pointless battle because not everyone is interested in learning every nook and cranny the OS has to offer. I think that's one of the greatest things about Linux. It works incredibly well for the desktop professional, and yet still offers infinite challenges for the curious hacker.
On a sidenote, I find that those who claim "elitism" are usually people that are desperately trying to associate themselves with legitimately accomplished gurus. They use that ridiculous "133t 5p34k" to help them feel more "authentic" and superior to other normal users "who just don't understand". It's really too bad, too. I don't know too many Unix gurus who waste time with that garbage.
