Linux winds of change: friction between Ubuntu and old guard

Stan Beer
Tuesday, 17 April 2007 17:30

Opinion and Analysis

As far as the old guard are concerned, however, Ubuntu is no longer real Linux. For traditional Ubuntu users of course, such talk is anathema because Ubuntu like all the other distros is built around the Linux kernel. Thus, the argument rages between the Linux elitists, who couldn't give a damn whether the year of the Linux desktop ever arrives, and the Linux evangelists who would like to see Linux distros like Ubuntu and Suse replace Windows as the desktop system of choice.

One suspects that Ubuntu, arguably now the most popular Linux distro, has a user base that is gradually becoming flooded with former Windows users who have made the switch. This raises another issue - culture clash. The Windows culture is quite different from the Linux culture in general and Ubuntu in particular. Windows has few zealots not on the Microsoft payroll, while the passions of both Linux elitists and evangelists can run white hot at times.

As an IT journalist, I'm used to calling things as I see them from a user perspective. If I write a negative article about a Microsoft product, pointing out for instance the steep learning curve and equally steep price of Office 2007, it provokes as much response as a ping pong ball bouncing off elephant hide. If I write an article pointing to a deficiency that I see in a Linux distro, such as not being able to get wireless input devices to work, it provokes outrage (except from a considerable number of users who experience the same problem).

The difference is that Linux zealots and evangelists come from a rarified clubby atmosphere of forums and user groups, where dirty washing doesn't get aired and laundered in public. Thus, they are often thin-skinned and tend to take things personally.

After a couple of my recent articles, one or two well meaning Linux evangelists informed me that as a journalist with many readers I had a responsibility not to air my technical problems related to Ubuntu publicly because I might scare prospective users away. Instead, I should submit polite requests to the Ubuntu forum in private to get my answers. One can imagine the response Microsoft would get if they tried to tell journalists not to write about their issues with Windows publicly!

Speaking specifically about Ubuntu now, this particular distro has been fingered by the Linux elitists (whether they like to admit it or not) as the one most likely to satisfy the needs of Windows users who wish to take the plunge. Ubuntu is an open source project. However, let us not be under any illusions. Ubuntu is funded by Canonical, a commercial company that is owned by a billionaire. It is now playing in the big league and has to take its knocks from the media just like other big league players.

Until first tier hardware vendors start selling PCs pre-loaded and configured with Ubuntu, new users are going to have to install and get Ubuntu working with their hardware themselves or pay someone to do it. The chances are that a small business or SOHO user that just wants a robust reliable system that's not prone to malware attacks will be happy to pay someone to get Ubuntu up and running. Most of them can't afford to wait for forum help. I've had my polite request for help with wireless input sitting on the Ubuntu forum for 24 hours. It has been read 27 times and received zero responses.