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Our Blogs Open Sauce How to really write a Linux review
Our Blogs Open Sauce How to really write a Linux review | How to really write a Linux review |
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| by Sam Varghese | |
| Tuesday, 08 July 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 3 In the main, there are two classes of people who read Linux reviews: those who are using the distribution which is reviewed, and those who are using other distributions. The first category read the reviews for one of two reasons: some read to find out if anything positive has been said as this would validate their sense of self-worth. Featured Whitepaper
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The argument runs this way: the distribution I chose is good, ergo, I am good too. Linux users have to reinforce that feeling, else they often start wondering why they got into the situation of using the operating system in the first place. There is a second class of person who reads the review to find out the faults of the distribution in question. This individual has the same aim at heart - to validate his self-worth. If the distribution that is under review is described as lacking X or Y, why, then this reader, the user of a different distribution, feels good by default. His reasoning runs thus: I did not choose this distribution and I am, therefore, not a fool. I am better than the man who chose this distribution. Your average reader is not interested in kernel (what's that?) versions, the distribution creators or the architectures which the distribution supports. No, he (and it is practically always a he) is interested in the bling which comes with the distribution. Flash? Java? A Windows Live-compatible client? Torrent clients? 3D drivers? Is it cool? Is it awesome? These are all far more important than any information about the kernel or startup scripts. Make sure to mention the hardware you are using - don't bother about too many specifics, just the broad outlines. Most of your readers will have little to no idea about hardware. They will all run the x86 port, no matter if they have quad-core processors or not. If you need to write anything at all about the installation process, then you are writing about the wrong distribution. The only distributions which still faze the average user when it comes to installation are Debian, Slackware and Gentoo. And any user of these three distributions does not need your pathetic review - he can teach you a thing or two; in fact, he is the type of bloke who can actually claim to be able to teach your grandmother to suck boiled eggs. |
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