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View Full Version : Is Ubuntu a community of "fanboys" ?



PrimoTurbo
December 19th, 2007, 10:09 PM
Has anyone noticed that there appears to be an emerging crowd of people that seem to propaganda Ubuntu like there is no tomorrow? We all know Apple has it's fanboys, but I'm sort of surprised that a Linux based distribution can have it too.

Especially when the foundation of Open Source is essentially freedom, and especially the freedom to choose. In certain cases I have noticed people going out of their way to put Ubuntu on a pedestal, not giving the benefit of doubt to other distributions or Windows.

I think it's dangerous to give such support to one distribution, or one anything for that matter. Everything has problems and it's important to admit them, so they can be fixed.

Please keep it civil, anyone have any constructive opinion/criticism based on this topic?

Whiffle
December 19th, 2007, 10:12 PM
Its certainly not all of us, but there are a few... I think it goes a little beyond enthusiasm as well.

Tadock
December 19th, 2007, 10:12 PM
I think fanboys happen with everything like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo fanboys. I also think they are somewhat dangerous because if there is enough fanboys the one distro becomes larger and then becomes the target of hackers like windows. Just my 2 cents

PrimoTurbo
December 19th, 2007, 10:13 PM
I agree there is only perhaps a minority of actual fanboys in the Ubuntu crowd.

23meg
December 19th, 2007, 10:14 PM
There are fanboys in every community. Your thread title asks whether the whole community is made up of fanboys, and the answer is obviously "no".

Blutack
December 19th, 2007, 10:14 PM
...people that seem to propaganda Ubuntu like there is no tomorrow...


Ubuntu Corner - My personal Ubuntu based blog.

Crass I know, but I can't help it.

Incense
December 19th, 2007, 10:16 PM
It is not in any way a community composed entirely of fanboys, but Ubuntu does have a lot of fans who are very loud, and spend a lot of time on digg. These people however are not exclusive to ubuntu, they are exist everywhere. Ubuntu and PCLOS however do tend to have a lot of fans. Is this a bad thing though? I think it's fantastic that people are so excited about their operating system, that they will proudly tell the web all about it. A few years ago the only news about linux was how horrible it was, and how it would never succeed on the desktop. While you still see that, you also see a lot on the other side of the fence.

PrimoTurbo
December 19th, 2007, 10:17 PM
Crass I know, but I can't help it.

I never tell people to use Ubuntu for the sake of using it. I like Ubuntu myself and it's just a blog for keeping mostly artwork I make related to Ubuntu.

PrimoTurbo
December 19th, 2007, 10:18 PM
It is not in any way a community composed entirely of fanboys, but Ubuntu does have a lot of fans who are very loud, and spend a lot of time on digg. These people however are not exclusive to ubuntu, they are exist everywhere. Ubuntu and PCLOS however do tend to have a lot of fans. Is this a bad thing though? I think it's fantastic that people are so excited about their operating system, that they will proudly tell the web all about it. A few years ago the only news about linux was how horrible it was, and how it would never succeed on the desktop. While you still see that, you also see a lot on the other side of the fence.

I think the community size of Ubuntu is probably largely related to digg, post any Ubuntu/Linux related topic and see how many Diggs you will get.

LaRoza
December 19th, 2007, 10:19 PM
Since many members don't use Ubuntu (lots of other distros and Macs here) it is not a community of fanboys/girls

Obviously, people are going to recommend Ubuntu on UbuntuForums.org, but I and many others will recommend other distros if there is a reason. And some, like me, are distro hunters. I have a very large collection and like many of them.

Blutack
December 19th, 2007, 10:19 PM
Hmm, it was a stupid post wasn't it. Sorry, one of those days.

I'm a horrendous distro hopper. What always gets me back is apt and the justworks factor.

PrimoTurbo
December 19th, 2007, 10:25 PM
Hmm, it was a stupid post wasn't it. Sorry, one of those days.

I'm a horrendous distro hopper. What always gets me back is apt and the justworks factor.

It's alright I don't take offense to it, I guess I am a bit of a enthusiast but definitely not a fanboy. I always criticize problems that I see, no matter what.

My first blog post was related to slow speed of 7.04 that I experienced and still do.

Blutack
December 19th, 2007, 10:31 PM
slow speed of 7.04 that I experienced and still do.

Really? In most respects I have found gutsy to be a regression. Gnome 2.20 in particular, along with the new Network Manager which doesn't agree too well with my intel wireless.
In my experience Ubuntu releases go on a one bad one good cycle, so bring on Hardy! I shopped around more during Edgy and Breezy.

I don't think this community is made up of fanboys any more than any other. Bit sad the devotion an operating system can ignite in people though :-)

loudnlownoma
December 19th, 2007, 10:40 PM
It is not in any way a community composed entirely of fanboys, but Ubuntu does have a lot of fans who are very loud, and spend a lot of time on digg. These people however are not exclusive to ubuntu, they are exist everywhere. Ubuntu and PCLOS however do tend to have a lot of fans. Is this a bad thing though? I think it's fantastic that people are so excited about their operating system, that they will proudly tell the web all about it. A few years ago the only news about linux was how horrible it was, and how it would never succeed on the desktop. While you still see that, you also see a lot on the other side of the fence.

I would completely agree. It wasn't too long ago I was in the "Oooh...Linux...scary" crowd myself. If it wasn't for a friend really pushing me to at least give a couple distros a try, and eventually showing me a copy of Feisty, I probably would have kept that mindset for some time. Now, I have upgraded to Gutsy on my desktop and couldn't be happier. While I try not to be too pushy about it, I don't have a problem sharing screenshots or stories of my experiences with co-workers and friends or family, trying to give them the same encouragement to try something different. On the upside, if they try and don't find it to be in their taste, I drop it.

But there is a thin line between encouragement and non-stop, cramming it down their throats, so you have to be careful with that.... And that's probably where the issue comes in. And it could just be for the simple fact that someone is really excited about how well Ubuntu works for them. I know I've done the same myself in other areas - you get so happy about something that it is just the answer to any related questions, and want everyone to know that.

23meg
December 19th, 2007, 10:47 PM
Since many members don't use Ubuntu (lots of other distros and Macs here) it is not a community of fanboys/girls

I think you're talking about forum members; the (loaded) question was about the Ubuntu community in whole. In any case, that makes it sound like if all forum members were Ubuntu users, it would necessarily be a community of fanboys/girls, which obviously isn't true.

Nano Geek
December 19th, 2007, 10:49 PM
WHAT!!!
I'm no fanboy!
It shows that you're envious of us.
Go back to Debian loozer!
LOLOLOL



(seriously, just kidding) ;)

erfahren
December 19th, 2007, 10:50 PM
hmmm.... what really is the definition of a fanboy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanboy) anyway? I think the "definition should include irrational or unwarranted defensiveness" as well.

I think the real question is: do fanboys admit that they are, or even know that they are, fanboys? - maybe that's a question better left to a team of dedicated psychologists.

Anyway, check out my new sig...

If you don't use Ubuntu then you are in love with Bill Gates!

(that's the "G-rated" version!)

-- lol !

PrimoTurbo
December 19th, 2007, 10:53 PM
Really? In most respects I have found gutsy to be a regression. Gnome 2.20 in particular, along with the new Network Manager which doesn't agree too well with my intel wireless.
In my experience Ubuntu releases go on a one bad one good cycle, so bring on Hardy! I shopped around more during Edgy and Breezy.

I don't think this community is made up of fanboys any more than any other. Bit sad the devotion an operating system can ignite in people though :-)

I'm talking about the responsiveness of the overall os not the bandwidth speed.

boast
December 19th, 2007, 10:54 PM
I've only known of debian vs gentoo

but I guess ubuntu can be in it too :D

toupeiro
December 19th, 2007, 10:57 PM
to profile an entire community based on the actions of a few is .. lame!

Blutack
December 19th, 2007, 11:02 PM
Sorry if I didn't make sense, from boot to gdm is faster in gutsy. But from gdm to desktop is maybe 5 times longer. I tend to hit boot and wander off for tea or something anyway, so it's the gdm bit that bothers me. Otherwise, I haven't noticed any speed difference between the two. Once I disabled tracker and deskbar anyway...
Under feisty my wireless was flawless. Under gutsy it doesn't like reassociating, flakes out occasionally and won't remember my PEAP details. I don't see any other improvements other then ntfs-3g by default (not exactly rocket science, I've been using it since Dapper and it was never an issue to set up) and a prettier rhythmbox/gimp.
Just my 2p.

zcal
December 19th, 2007, 11:27 PM
We all know Apple has it's fanboys, but I'm sort of surprised that a Linux based distribution can have it too.

You're surprised? Really? Linux distros seem like perfect fanboy magnets to me. They're just different enough to give people a lot to argue about. I mean, it's all Linux/GNU underneath, but package management, distro-specfic features/inclusions, development processes, and community structure make each one a very different animal. People will latch onto that and decry anything that's different or threatens their preference.

As for open source being all about choice and freedom...there are plenty of "fanboy" movements within the overall community that would have the rest of the group adhere to their ideals. There's a lot of Microsoft bashing going around. Someone who actually likes/uses Windows might find it difficult to be a part of the community because of the extreme anti-MS views of some of its members. Look at the back and forth fighting between GNOME and KDE fanboys. Even Linus jumped in and took a few swings at GNOME at one point.

As for this community being made up of fanboys, I think that's a big misconception. Sure, Ubuntu's got a lot. It's quickly become one of the most popular distros around, winning "converts" left and right and cultivating an enormous community. Fanboys are an inevitability. But, there are still a lot of folks on these forums who continue to dual boot Windows and a lot more who don't hold anything against them for it. There are some here who don't even use Ubuntu. Hell, look at me. I went to Debian Etch because I got sick of Ubuntu's continuous piling on of features that I didn't want. That, and Gutsy was more buggy for me than Breezy ever was. :rolleyes:

loudnlownoma
December 20th, 2007, 01:48 AM
You're surprised? Really? Linux distros seem like perfect fanboy magnets to me. They're just different enough to give people a lot to argue about. I mean, it's all Linux/GNU underneath, but package management, distro-specfic features/inclusions, development processes, and community structure make each one a very different animal. People will latch onto that and decry anything that's different or threatens their preference.

As for open source being all about choice and freedom...there are plenty of "fanboy" movements within the overall community that would have the rest of the group adhere to their ideals. There's a lot of Microsoft bashing going around. Someone who actually likes/uses Windows might find it difficult to be a part of the community because of the extreme anti-MS views of some of its members. Look at the back and forth fighting between GNOME and KDE fanboys. Even Linus jumped in and took a few swings at GNOME at one point.

As for this community being made up of fanboys, I think that's a big misconception. Sure, Ubuntu's got a lot. It's quickly become one of the most popular distros around, winning "converts" left and right and cultivating an enormous community. Fanboys are an inevitability. But, there are still a lot of folks on these forums who continue to dual boot Windows and a lot more who don't hold anything against them for it. There are some here who don't even use Ubuntu. Hell, look at me. I went to Debian Etch because I got sick of Ubuntu's continuous piling on of features that I didn't want. That, and Gutsy was more buggy for me than Breezy ever was. :rolleyes:

Very well put. I do agree that there is a lot of MS bashing that happens around here, but again, that is to be expected with anything, as I doubt there is a MS-dedicated forum in existence that doesn't have it's fair share of linux or OSX bashing going on. Just like noted above, it is going to happen when any group of users feels their chosen software is the superior.

I did find it a little discomforting with some of the comments made about Microsoft when I first started wandering around these forums. While I will be the first to admit I don't have much, if any, love lost for them, they have managed to become invaluable to some. Also, once the bashing starts on one topic, it can be hard to stop it in some cases. While I may agree with many of these same posts bashing them, how easy is it to get worked up in a fit about that and let it carry over to other topics? Or what kind of explanation is offered when someone asks why it is okay to say something about MS or Windows in a certain way, but when applying the same language or comments somewhere else, they get flamed or are asked not to speak this way? This last question is more in a hypothetical context, as I can't say I have seen that here, but just as an example....

Either way, I can kinda see where that impression would come from, but from what I have seen around the community so far, it does tend to be the minority acting in this way. And that would be wrong to judge the minds of many on the actions of a few. Even if they can be the loudest of the bunch.

jrusso2
December 20th, 2007, 02:53 AM
I like Ubuntu and often recommend that or Linux Mint to new users depending on their skill level.

However Ubuntu and Linux in general has plenty of room for improvement before it really should have a loud fan base.

phrostbyte
December 20th, 2007, 03:04 AM
Hmmm, are you an anti-fanboy fanboy? Seems to be a lot of those around lately, ever since fanboy replaced n00b as the ultimate Internet diss.

conehead77
December 20th, 2007, 04:42 AM
Im a Synaptic fanboy, not Ubuntu ;)

loudnlownoma
December 20th, 2007, 05:37 AM
Im a Synaptic fanboy, not Ubuntu ;)

Agreed! :lolflag: