Advocating the use of Linux (was RE: kclug - KCLUG?!?!?!)

[Dave Parker]

Sam - VERY eloquently stated.  I couldn't agree more.  I joined
the rest of the list in the deafening silence in responce to 
Rich's call for volunteers.

This brings me back to the subject of Amaya, the wc3 consortium
browser/composer, etc, which I ftp'd the other night and would
probably have forgotten about (I wonder how many GBs of source
code I've got on my system like that???) had I not read your post.
I'm going to pop open another xterm and compile it now and maybe
even remember tomorrow that I did it and actually take a look at
it.  Maybe even try it out and report back.  

I need a new .sig...  I'll put it down on my list, right after
'compile, install, and test Amaya'.  If I could EVER find all (or 
even ANY of) my lists I could be dangerous...

Sam Clippinger wrote:
> 
> When last we left our heroes, Mac had just said:
> > <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 4.0">
> > <meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document">
> <snip>
> > So, a spider or bot could pull up this page and
> > view the "GENERATOR" meta tag to find out this page was made by Micorosoft
> > Frontpage 4.0 and then report that information back to, oh, lets say,
> > Microsoft, where it would be compiled in with a lot of other data into one
> > of Microsofts propaganda paper which tells us that some greater
> > percentage of the websites out there today are made using MS Frontpage
> > 4.0.  This data then gets sent out with the MS Salespeople and MS
> > Solutions Providers who lobby ISP's and hosting services pursuading them
> > to use MS IIS 4.0 which has MS Frontpage Extensions to aid the greater
> > percentage of its customers who are using MS Frontpage.
> 
> Even as far-fetched as that theory sounds on paper, I'm positive that's
> EXACTLY what Microsoft is doing with those tags.  The statistics for editor
> usage have to come from somewhere, and META tags are the best source.
> 
> However, the facts of the matter bear some consideration.  What happened on
> this mailing list was that Rich called for a volunteer to take over the editing
> of the KCLUG website because he was running out of time to give to it.
> Silence.  He asked again.  Silence.  Finally, someone (evidently a newbie)
> thought to themself "Self, you don't know much about HTML, but you've got
> Frontpage and the group needs some help.  Since you can't do technical demos
> and you want to repay the group for their help so far, you should step up and
> do the webpage."  So they did the webpage the only way they knew how.  They
> presented their efforts and probably expected someone to say "Hey! Thanks for
> helping out!"  I'm sure Rich said that to them.
> 
> But then everyone else on the list (from the newbie's point of view) began
> tearing down their work and stomping on it.  Here's the kicker: No one
> complained about the design!  Nobody said "Yuck! Yellow pages are NASTY! Make
> them red or something!"  Nobody said "Eeew! The numbers are too small! I can't
> read them at my ultra-high resolution!"  Instead, (again from the newbie's point
> of view) everyone shouted in unison "YOU PIECE OF SLIME! HOW _DARE_ YOU USE
> FRONTPAGE?!"
> 
> Isn't that like criticising a writer for using a pencil instead of a pen?
> Isn't that like leveling a new building because some construction worker used a
> Phillips-head screw?
> 
> Now, as for the Frontpage issue, I agree with you that we shouldn't be
> advocating its use by creating our pages with it.  HOWEVER, the fact remains
> that when the call went out to the "enlightened masses" who knew how to use the
> "correct" tools, NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM RESPONDED.
> 
> I saw the call go out.  I know how to use the "correct" tools.  But I didn't
> want to create the webpage and I really still don't.  "I'm not a good designer",
> "I don't have enough time", "I don't know enough about what we want on the site",
> blah blah blah.  Excuses.  I didn't respond, just like everyone else.
> 
> So a newbie did the pages in Frontpage after I was too LAZY to do them "the
> right way".  Well, here's what I think about that: THANK YOU!  WE APPRECIATE
> YOUR WORK!  PLEASE, CONTINUE TO HELP OUT IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE WE NEED MORE
> "DOERS" THAN "TALKERS".  I would have been happier if whoever did the pages
> had put their name at the bottom so we could give them the credit they deserve.
> All things considered, it's probably better that they didn't or they may have
> gotten (even more) hate mail in their personal mailbox.
> 
> Unfortunately, after the treatment they got on this mailing list, I'd honestly
> be surprised if they still subscribed to it.  If someone treated one of my first
> efforts the way this list treated theirs, _I_ certainly wouldn't stick around.
> I've got better things to do than be berated by strangers in my FREE TIME.
> 
> With all of that having been said, YES let's advocate Linux whenever we can.
> YES let's figure out what about Microsoft products makes them so attractive so
> we can make ours attractive too.  Above all, YES let's get more people using
> Linux.  But if you're serious about advocating Linux, maybe you should put
> yourself in a newbie's shoes for a few minutes and ask yourself what kind of
> treatment would encourage you the most.
> 
> That's all I'm trying to say.
> 
>                                 -sam
-- 
Dave Parker/DLP, Inc.  -  dlparker at dlpinc.com  -  www.dlpinc.com