Will you two shut-up?

Story: Penguin Counter Penguin: You Say Tomato, I say "Desktop"!Total Replies: 6
Author Content
Glimmung

Jan 25, 2005
7:52 AM EDT
Hi,

I don't know if anyone here agrees with the following or not. But I am going to ask anyway. Imagine a polite voice, sincerely asking you to stop with your (in my opinion) pointless trolling and articles. This applies to Paul Ferris (whoever you are) and his sycophant sidekick(s). After years of trying to find a news source that was well rounded, Linux only intended and not full of horrible graphics and near useless editorials I hit paydirt with lxer.

Now I have a few minor issues with this site, but it has proved itself a great source for news. And until I meet my personal levels for perfection I don't intend to impose those same values upon a mere website.

Until recently.

Now I discover that the site has been invaded by a pair (and more) of people who seem to live so far in the past that they still think it necessary to debate the issues of Linux on the Desktop.

You seem to feel the need to debate the relevancy of Linux. Linux exists in it's own world and is well beyond being stopable. The only question anyone needs to ask is are you with us? The train already left, but the beauty of Open Source (and especially GPL) is that anyone can get on and join the party, at anytime.

The articles being published are editorials, and I would claim they are not very good ones. This would not be a problem. Once I saw the name attached to the story I could avoid it, and have been doing so (like any other news source I consider bad). However once upon a time the comments were worth reading too. I saw some good debates (mostly about Sun) but they were often good and informative, if sometimes badly written.

Now as soon as a certain small number of names appear in the comments section I know that those comments have been reduced to low sarcasm, and humor that would be considered pathetic by an eight year old school boy. And rarely providing anything that could be considered information.

Neither of you (and possibly your hangers-on) appears to actually know anything. I could be wrong, and if you want to prove that then fine, please do so with stories that are news worthy.

This site is a Linux _news_ site. There is no-one here looking to be converted to Linux. Those here already know. So if you are going to write editorials can you keep them to issues that people might actually want to read? How about articles on configuring strange applications, or how to do specific things?

I believe in freedom of speech, and positively encourage it, but I also believe in a level of personal responsability, which means understanding that no matter how often or how loudly you shout, there are people who find you utterly irrelevant. I am one of those with regards you guys.

I don't really wish to have some grand debate. I am merely letting you know that there is a level of discontent with the way you behave on this website. I may be the only one, in which case I shall know that you are just people who naturally get on my nerves, and it is therefore my issue to deal with. I will deal with it by not saying anything more to you and avoiding all your articles and comments.

Just so as you know.
peragrin

Jan 25, 2005
8:45 AM EDT
I can sum up your entire point quickly enough.

You don't enjoy low level sarcastic humour. This site didn't have it before and now it's all over the place.

It's okay really. Not everybody enjoys quick wit, sarcastic comebacks, between people who would be friends if they actually liked each other.

Other than the Sun threads with Taldeste, this site is pretty quiet. A couple of posts a day,at least until recently.

Also Linux on the Desktop isn't solved yet. It's not yet being installed by default in any kinds of numbers. Until somebody starts shipping OEM Linux installs by the millions the debate will still go on.

I am sorry that you don't their childish tit-for tat humour, I hope you stay and just ignore their posts. At least until you find your 'prefect' webite. Meanwhile I will take what I find, realizing that the 'prefect' news website doesn't exsist unless you create it your self. Being lazy I am not going to do that. That and I am to harsh of a critic on myself.

Also take a look at http://www.machighlight.com One guy likes tech and Apple news and created a simple site just for that. Maybe you can use a similar format. and if you do, please post it here. That way when the noise gets to much the rest of us can wander over.
dinotrac

Jan 25, 2005
9:31 AM EDT
I'm glad that you found your way to lxer and equally glad that feel comfortable in expressing a negative opinion. That is not merely the essence of free speech, but of community. A gathering of clones is an inventory, not a community.

That said, I am equally comfortable responding to a couple of points:

1. C'mon. It doesn't take an Einstein to recognize that pieces called rant mode=1 or penguin/counter penguin are not hard news pieces. You're free to think they are dreck and to ignore them, but you can't claim that you were bamboozled into reading them without admitting that you're not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

2. You're just plain wrong on some key points.

Paul and I have never debated the relevance of Linux. We both use it every day and have both planted it in corporate environments.

We both believe that Linux and free software constitute a powerful force in the real world. To say that Linux is unstoppable is to live in fairy-tale land. If you've been in the business for as long as Paul and I have, you've seen a number of "unstoppable" forces: IBM, Lotus, Sun, Microsoft, Intel, to name a few. Everything is stoppable. Everything. A little hubris, a few stupid moves ... and ...WHAM!

Desktop Linux, by the way, is not resolved among Linux supporters. Just yesterday, I spoke with a colleague who wished Linux developers would stop wasting time on the desktop and concentrate on polishing the server room stuff.

Beyond that, there are those who don't care about attracting new users or think that people will somehow flock to Linux if only it comes pre-installed.

For that matter, sometimes its ok just to offer a little encouragement who have seen desktop linux be "just around the corner" for the last five years.

At any rate, I hope you continue to visit lxer, even if you skip the things I write.

SFN

Jan 25, 2005
10:53 AM EDT
I actually like the pieces. They have that whole "shut up bitch or I'll hit you with my purse" feel to them. ;-)
dinotrac

Jan 25, 2005
10:54 AM EDT
Well, actually, they made us edit that line out...

But it was in there!
tuxchick

Jan 25, 2005
11:57 AM EDT
I suggest simply ignoring the bits you don't like. Paul, dinotrac, and the other homies always post under their own names (dinotrac, what were your parents thinking??) so they're easy enough to avoid.

Humor is subjective, so how about leaving those of us who enjoy the elevated, sophisticated Three Stooges-type drollery in peace. You are welcome to make your own contributions.
PaulFerris

Jan 25, 2005
12:52 PM EDT
Glummung: In a word, no. But I do respect your point of view, so don't take that badly -- ok?

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