Linux Extremism: Puts a Hurt on Linux and Nothing Else

by Dietrich Schmitz

I have read the esteemed +Martin Gräßlin's post entitled Fanboys in Free Software and completely agree with his point of view.  It is quite sad that the true innovators are hated with such vilification.

To the point, I share with you today my own experience with Haters.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece entitled The Ubuntu FOSS Community: Merely Chumps on the Outside Looking In.  Now, mind you, most of my regular readership do take what I write in stride and the comments reflect that. (Image credit: nocookie.net)

To have used the word 'chump' is quite appropriate; here's a definition:

chump  

/CHəmp/

Noun A foolish person. An easily deceived person; a sucker.

Synonyms block - log

Now, I really could have done much worse.  But the bluntness of the word is 'effective' in conveying the notion that, however sincere the Ubuntu community members may be, they are really being deceived into thinking that Ubuntu is a 'genuine' community-based Distro.

The point of the article wasn't that they are 'chumps'.  The point was that Ubuntu is being treated by Canonical as though it is community-based, when in fact it isn't.  There's plenty of room for discussion and feel free to go back to the story and respond if you missed reading it.

Anyhow, I wrote several stories about Ubuntu/Canonical, with a follow-on story A Kumbayah Moment: New Ubuntu Community Website.

Okay, I admit, I am kicking dust on somebody's shoes by writing it, but it really smacks of complete insincerety.  A community website for Ubuntu?  C'mon.  I just checked my Drivers License and can confirm, I wasn't born yesterday.

So, needless to say, that story didn't sit well with one commentor by the name of +Michael Hall a volunteer Ubuntu community member.  No one questions, including myself, his loyalty and sincerety, but I chose to call him a 'chump'.  It wasn't meant so much as a mean-spirited personalization, but a reference to the preceding story "The Ubuntu FOSS Community": Merely Chumps on the Outside Looking In".

And in follow-up I wrote yet another story Fedora Community Members are Chumps and so am I that, in my own discovery process, stated I was a chump as well for using Fedora--given that Fedora's charter board includes a Red Hat-appointed Chair which has 'veto' power on any decision made by other members of the Board.  So, that makes me a chump.  And I feel for the most part that most of the Linux community Distros don't operate in a community consensus gathering fashion.  That is the reality that everyone needs to come to terms with.

Okay fine.  With me so far?  And previous to that story, I wrote another story with the suggestion that the Ubuntu community take the Ubuntu code base and fork it.  Why?  Because it would help the community to seize control of decision making which is made by Canonical.  I submitted the idea sincerely and hope it will be done soon, for the sake of Ubuntu, because it's getting derailed by elitist decision making, favoritism, all born of being under one roof under the control of Mark Shuttleworth.

So, you'd think maybe some of the readers would have read in progression to see and connect the dots?  Yes?  Well, the next thing I know someone has decided to erect a website using my name and likeness (photo from this website) and pretending to be me.  

A series of emails were originated by me to the hosting ISP and to the domain issuer to request takedown of the website.  The website fraudulently registered their domain and were forced to re-register but have spent additional dollars to hide their identity.  The website moved from its original hosting website last evening onto the domain issuer's hosting service where they currently have the site erected.

I have sent another email requesting take-down of the site by virtue of their Terms of Service violation.

We'll see where this goes.  But, it is quite emblematic of just how far haters will go to cause harm to others on the Internet for expressing an opinion or having a different idea or approach to doing things.

It's also representative of an ongoing problem with Linux that creates a true image problem.  Fiefdoms, ideological differences impede true innovation.  Extremism is the by-product of hatred.

Robert F. Kennedy wrote this about extremism:

"What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents."

That extremism, or, The Linux Inside Stigma has caused Google to completely avoid using any reference to Linux in their marketing of the Chromebook.

So, let this serve to show just how far haters will go--Linux Extremism puts a hurt on Linux and nothing else.

-- Dietrich

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The Myth of FOSS Community

by Dietrich Schmitz

Let's get real Folks.  No matter how much you twist it and turn things around and no matter how much hand-holding, singing the Coke song or Kumbayah isn't going to change it:

There is no community.

Ta dah.

Stare at that for a few moments, if it helps.  And, just like in the Wizard of Oz, "There's no place like home", you can never go home either.

When you roam around the Interwebs, and see references to how wonderful Linux is because of the FOSS and community behind it, it's all rubbish.  Don't believe it.  Why?

Because, for the most part, and in application, it doesn't exist.  Decision making is never done collectively.  Even our fearless leader Linus Torvalds calls the shots when it comes time to pull the trigger on the next kernel version.

No, we have on our hands a class of fiefdoms, tribal in nature, operating on the false premise of community participation and the notion that everyone has input into how a project should be developed.

The reality is quite different.  Only a handful of individuals along project lines makes any kind of important decisions.   The interests of one group over others sometimes run parallel, are often intersecting and even totally divergent tugging groups in different directions all at the same time.  A lot can get done, or, in some cases much time is spent doing little as conflicts arise.

In the case of Fedora, even Red Hat has appointed the Chair to the Fedora board with right to invoke a veto on anything that comes along.  Which is to say,  We don't care what the community would like, it's our way or the highway.  That's business, not community at play.

Debian has its own shell game going for itself.  Only they insist that it is democratic.  But it isn't. Someone is calling the shots and we are chumps if we believe otherwise.

For the most part, that is how the business world operates.  And, when you see commercial enterprise in action, they obtain results or management objectives and reach milestones, because if they didn't, they would fail.

When you see the word community and FOSS, don't get too misty eyed.  The community and the Free only go so far.  Nothing is really free.  There is a cost exacted even in FOSS development in bringing a group of people together into a loosely grouped rag tag organization.  But in that organization, you can still sing Kumbayah, hold hands, if you will, and believe in sharing, because sharing is still going on to an extent.

You may not like this.  But, one of the big problems as I see it for Linux and particularly on the Desktop is coming to terms with this myth of community.  When there aren't disputes, there is cooperation.  When there are disputes, you have factions, intransigence and in some cases it becomes intractable to the point that one project dismantles entirely and often a fork occurs, because the software terms of a license allow that to happen, or an organization chooses to write their own project from scratch to gain full control.

We have labeled ourselves a loosely cobbled together organization of community with implied cooperative work, but human behavior contradicts the notion and the need for authority will prevail and be given to only a handful, appointed or voted onto a board who determine our future.

So, don't despair.  It's better that you know that like there really isn't a tooth fairy and Santa Claus.  That's part of growing up.  And unless we grow up collectively and see things for what they are, Linux on the Desktop will be forever mired in turmoil spinning its wheels.

Wake up and smell the moca java.  FOSS Community is a myth.

-- Dietrich

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