Doing The Good Thing

Lindependence 2008 has not been without its detractors. There haven't been many and few of them have been public, but we have had them.

Almost from the beginning.

I'm not one to put too much weight on criticism that obviously stems from someone's dislike of me. I hear that there may be one or two folks out there that don't particularly care for me or what I do.

Or so I hear.

Early on...when Larry and I were putting LIN08 together; I began a mini-campaign to garner support for this project. One of my objectives was to make other bloggers aware of what we were doing and asked them to spread the word. Many were more than glad to help.

More than one was not.

Now it's not my intention to start a crap-flinging fest here, so names are not going to be mentioned. Should she...or he for that matter care to comment, then they can...I don't particularly care one way or another. My reasons for bringing this up are purely to show just how fragmented the wasp really is.

Oh...Wasp? That would be us...Warring Against Self Preservation. I have decided that there really isn't any "Linux Community". Only factions that spend an inordinate amount of time ripping at each other's throats.

I'm about to present you with an example.

One of the most memorable responses I received from my quest for blogger assistance came from a fairly well-known blogger for a well-known Technology book/publication site. I honestly didn't know that she/he and I had "issues".

It seems as if we do.

Like I care.

What I do care about is the blind "Let's-all-just-get-together-and-can't-we-all-get-along" mentality (s)he carries like a shield. It's not that I prefer conflict...I don't. Contrary to popular disbelief, I do have other things I want to do in life...I'm just not going to walk away from a job half-done. I am more than willing to give those who come around the benefit of the doubt. My normal practice is to give everyone an "A" and then they can grade themselves. Does anyone care to take a gander at the Microsoft gradebook?

I am probably going to blame their proximity to Madison Wisconsin for this Kumby'a attitude. No offense to those with a bit of sense in Madison. Even the residents there I've met agree that the only thing left of some of them is the Mariana Trench.

And yes, I've spoken to many...I spent many a summer in that fine state.

The response I got from this particular blogger was scathing. Of particular note was the issue of me referring to Microsoft Windows as a "ball and chain". The famed blogger stated to me that they did their absolute best to undo the "damage" my blog and my attitude does at every turn...or words to that effect. Said blogger also stated that they had nothing but the deepest distain for my fanaticism and that they worked hard to be the exact opposite of me, which they then identified as "zealot". The fact that I referred to using Microsoft Windows as a measure of inprisonment chapped said bloggers backside. A Zealot she called me.

Thank you.

But listen...you might want to reconsider your stand on being my exact opposite. You know a small bit of moderation goes a long way. You may want to ponder your decision to walk to the very end of that spectrum...the "zealot" one. You don't honestly want to wear that title...that exact opposite of zealot.

That would make you a coward.

Let me show you just how "ball and chained" some people are, oh Ghandi of the blogosphere .

And how grateful they are to be freed.

Dear Ken, My name is Benjamin Denning and we met at the church hall in Felton last week. I am the gentleman with the two kids and told you about being locked out of my computer. I am the one that came from San Jose. I want to take just a few minutes of your time and thank those of you who put on this demonstration and helped me get Linux installed on my computer. It went just as easily as you said it would but after giving itsome thought, I didn't bother with keeping Windows on the other part of the hard drive. Since Microsoft refuses to honor my registration key, even after admitting that it was probably not pirated, I see no reason to keep their product on my computer. I also did as you suggested and wrote to Mr. Steve Ballmer and told him that my entire family has switched to Linux. I wanted you to know that you people are doing the good thing Ken. It was a pleasure to meet you and the others that made this event possible. You indeed travel in some intresting circles.

Best of wishes from my family to you folks,

Ben

To make a short story shorter, Ben had to reformat his hard drive after his brand new Vista computer became infected with numerous viruses and spyware nasties. Thank you MySpace. When he tried to restore the installation, it rejected his license key and would not let him back into his computer and data. He spent over three hours with a Microsoft Tech and seventy five dollars for the privilege of being told that, yes, his key was probably authentic but because the Genuine Advantage program wasn't recognizing it, he would have to purchase another license.

Oh...please do go ahead and say that Mr. Denning is an isolated incident. Please, I'm beggin' ya....I really, really want you to say that.

Because down deep, I know you honestly believe it. And that's sad.

Someone`s sleeping Lord, Kumbaya,
someone`s sleeping, Lord, Kumbaya.
Someone`s sleeping, Lord, Kumbaya, oh, Lord, Kumbaya.

(Thanks to Ms. Joan Baez)

Our blogger friend went on to say that this project was fairly inconsequental and that one small town in California is hardly representative of the US population....that if we gained any measure of success, it would be the exception rather than the norm.

Someone`s sleeping Lord, Kumbaya,....

Is that bag of misconceptions and incorrect perceptions getting a bit heavy? You might want to empty some of it out...I am sure there are others sharing your opinion that would be happy to carry the excess for you.

Ball and Chain Baby...Ball and Chain.

B-A-L-L A-N-D C-H-A-I-N

Spelling courtesy of one who says in 500 hundred words what you claim to be able to say in 50...but that's the way we Zealot's are. A bit mouthy.

Yeah...I'll be a Zealot. And yes. I'm spelling that with a capital Z as well.

Arrogance defined.

All-Righty Then...