Evangelising Linux, you’re doing it wrong

Imagine an entirely hypothetical scenario. While using some piece of software – say, an operation system – you run into a number of annoyances, perhaps even serious problems. A friend, or perhaps a Google search, uncovers an name of a competitor, lauded as being way, way better. Disgruntled, you give it a go. However, soon you discover problems in that new product, or that it hinders your productivity by being incompatible with your existing knowledge or familiar software. You post about your not entirely positive experience, and to your dismay hear that it’s all your fault. Your fault for not Reading The Fine Manual, your fault for getting used to the competitor’s software, your fault for not being smarter, more curious, more open. Your fault for not living up to the system’s standards.

I don’t know the actual numbers, but I bet that most people who tried switching from Windows to Linux went back to Windows, and in no small part due to this widespread attitude that first lures you in with impossible promises and then blames any problems you may have on you, the user. This happens a lot in the FOSS community, and while I can certainly understand that the developers and users don’t owe anything to anybody, thinking this kind of attitude promotes the system is wishful at best.

I’ve had Linux hard-freeze on me (due to hardware issues), I’ve had my data eaten, I’ve had annoying bugs, I’ve experienced dumb design decisions, and I saw annoying bugs not being fixed for years. I’m not mad (well, I *am* mad at data loss), because as a developer myself, I know that software has bugs, that sometimes you need to be patient, experiment, or, yes, even read the manual.

But I also know that nobody likes to be talked down to. Nobody wants to feel stupid. Users just want to get their job done. They shouldn’t care about the developer’s philosophy, prejudices and grudges. And yet, so many Linux and FOSS evangelists flaunt their blind loyalty with pride. Take, for example, this post by a self-described “helpful albeit abrasive” author. I see his points, but this is just horrible marketing. Unfortunately, this is not the exception.

The take away lesson is clear: if you’re  a software evangelist, Don’t Do That. Emphasize your strengths, downplay your weaknesses, whatever it takes to get you users. But when you have them – don’t turn them away. Otherwise, you will end up like so many FOSS, including Linux – the bigger, better up-and-coming champion, for fifteen years straight and counting.

Advertisement