Is Linux a desktop operating system?

Paul M. Bucalo ubuntuser at pmbservices.com
Sat May 28 13:07:39 UTC 2005


On Fri, 2005-05-27 at 20:08 -0700, Kreg Schlosser wrote: 
> > I think both of you are being a little narrow-minded on the U.S. end. No
> > offense intended in saying this.
> 
> Dont call people narrow-minded it takes away credibilty from every
> statement you make afterwards

I was in a good mood from something happening around me here when I
posted my reply. I guess I should have sobered up before replying. Come
on, Kreg. Lighten up some. Look at the helper words I use, like "a
little", as well as emoticons applied. The tempo of my reply was light
and informative, not accusational and demeaning. I've seen far worse in
this list, and from those who clearly demonstrated an intent to harm or
foul.

As for credibility, who says I have any, anyway? I am just who I am,
putting in my thoughts and experiences in my posts. I am not an IT guy
(well, not anymore...) and I don't care to impress you or anyone with
extreme Linux knowledge or superior wisdom. I do feel somewhat obligated
to address what I feel are generalizations made about U.S. businesses,
of this country's denizens, in regards to accepting Linux. Isn't that
the whole point of a communal forum? Hey, you don't have to agree with
me. That's OK with me and many others. Just, please, don't get defensive
when you don't agree with me. 

There is a distinct difference between telling someone they are *being*
narrow-minded about a perception, which is a state of being or condition
of the moment, and telling that same person or people that they *are*
narrow-minded. I implied "a little" bit of former, not the latter. I
don't know you. I couldn't possibly know if you are narrow-minded all
the time, this once, or never and I was totally mistaken for saying so.
However, in making my view point, as many I have seen on this list do, I
ask you to take a look at your generalizations and compare them to what
I offer in rebuttal. Any word by itself can be construed to be a
terrible statement. Read within a sentence and it becomes a part of the
concept. I think you took more offense to my choice of word than to the
meaning of the sentence it was placed within. Sorry.

> > Red Hat is still one of the largest providers of Linux world-wide, in
> > total in the U.S. I don't think Corporate U.S. is as slow to change as
> > you may think. It won't happen overnight, to be sure, but it is
> > happening. Let's not forget how *big* the U.S. is in both size and
> > population. Comparing other countries that have moved over to Linux at
> > the government level to the U.S. isn't a fair comparison, either. Heck,
> > Texas is larger than most countries in the world. There's a lot of
> > demographics to consider: millions of small, medium and large businesses
> > to convert over to a good thing. Patience is really a needed virtue when
> > waiting for the whole U.S. to eventually come to its senses. ;0)
> 
> Well I dont think countries that are just now building infastruction
> are as insignificant as you make make them sound, and Brazil, China,
> Taiwan, India, many African countries and middle eastern countries and
> not "smaller" then texas. These are the countries that WILL shape the
> future economy of the world.

I don't see where I made all countries outside the U.S. look small or
insignificant, Kreg. I only asked that you consider the size of the U.S.
and its population, and that change on that scale takes time. The
problem is much more complex than the generalizations I have been seeing
here, as if our businesses are mesmerized by Redmond and unable to
change when it's for their best. Businesses in the U.S. are
conservative, by nature, and look at the cost of change in emotional
values as well as dollars. Not so much at the enterprise level, of
course. There's more politics and top-level bias to contend with in the
enterprises environment. That's the hardest sell for Linux and why M$
could really reap a lot of profit if they came out with their own flavor
of Linux. At the small to medium size business level, the emotional
element, how the people who will use the PC's will accept a new
operation system, is as much a concern as the cost of that change. Heck,
I deal daily with older people who don't own a PC and won't have it!
Change with millions takes time. Change with billions, a little bit
longer, is what I am saying. 

I am very much aware of what other countries are trying to do with
Linux...have have already done...and I am impressed and encouraged by
this news. Why you would gather from my statements that I am just the
opposite and would demean countries for these accomplishments is beyond
me. I was addressing generalizations made about the slowness of the U.S.
in adopting Linux, and that its size hinders its progress, not the value
other countries have gathered in using Linux over Windows. 

Bear in mind, too, that I address others on this list when I reply to a
post, as do you, as I know others will read it, so I wasn't patronizing
*you* when I spoke of patience. We *all* need to be patient on some
matters. We *all* want to see things fixed, added or removed within the
realm of the Linux world. In regards to the U.S., *in time* is all I am
saying.

> > Trust me.
> Why? becuase Im too narrow minded to have my own opinions?

"Trust me" is an American colloquialism and was meant to be a light
farewell. Nothing more. I can see that if I am guilty of anything in my
previous post, it was for my light-hearted Americanisms. For that, I
apologize to you and this list. This is an international community,
after all. I can't expect everyone to understand such colloquialisms,
especially when they are not familiar with American culture. That's why
I shouldn't use them here. 

> And yes I am getting defensive... dont talk down to people, it does
> not make you look more intellegent.

I am not afraid to voice my opinions. I love a good debate; able to
argue either side regardless of my beliefs. You read into my reply what
wasn't there. I don't know why you did, but I am sorry that you had
reason to believe you should. I have no ill feelings for you or anyone
on this list. 

I will say this once that I really don't care what anyone thinks of my
intelligence and have no desire to prove that I have any to anyone here.
My intelligence level is dictated by what is within me, not what others
perceive is there. Since I make a living conveying my intelligence
level, as well as trust and understanding, to people who meet me for the
very first time, and I do it very well, I'm inclined to think I don't
have a problem in this respect. I do get misunderstood, though,
especially with 'the written word' the only thing between me and someone
I wish to communicate with. We all get that from time to time. I like to
think I am big enough to apologize when that happens because it is my
fault. So, I apologize for whatever misunderstanding you derived from my
post.

To everyone else on this list, I will caution you all that by the very
nature of its design, a forum encourages a sharing of knowledge,
experiences and beliefs, which therefore beckons for debate and
disagreement. This is not a bad thing. It just means reading carefully
before taking offense. In most cases, offense is never intended or meant
to be implied. I can assure you that it wasn't in my case.

Paul





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