Debating The Linux Cultist Fanatic.****** A Short How-To **************

It seems that Linux fanatics are invading the internet prostletizing
their new found religion. If you follow these debates you will easily
see that they all follow the same flow chart, have the same answers and
use the same techniques to attempt to convert the unknowing user to
Linux.
The purpose of this post is to expose some of the more common tactics
used by the Linux cult to foist their trash upon others.

1. The main tactic is to focus on the user/poster of the message
ratherthan discussing the message.
IOW shoot the messenger instead of the
message.
The cult uses several techniques to accomplish this.

a) You have no posting history, as if that matters when you are posting
a link saying Intel claims desktop Linux is dead.

b) You are posting from Windows/google/OSX/open proxies etc. Yet the
cult ignores their own who do exactly the same thing. Again the object
is to attack the poster and hope the message disappears as the thread
goes off into some weird discussion.

c) Blame windows. This one is a form of thread hijacking. Example is
the current pitiful state of Debian as it's latest (after 3 years!!!!)
update hoses 30 percent of systems it is installed on.
The cult will try and turn the discussion toward Windows while ignoring
the topic of the message which is Debian's screwup.

d)Go into Wolfpack mode, which means the cult will mobilize against you
because they are all sharing messages offline and set up the attack so
it looks like they are just random posts disagreeing with you when in
fact it is an organized attack.

e) Scream about Micorsoft's business tactics. Honestly there must be 40
percent of the messages in Linux groups that consist of Microsoft
bashing instead of Linux edifying.

Maybe that's because there is nothing much to discuss about Linux
because the user base is almost non-existant.

f) Linux is the kernel. This one is used when you blame some
application that came with your distribution, like KDE, for hosing your
system. As if the Linux kernel can be used for anything by itself.

g) Linux is NOT the kernel. This one is used when you post a message
about a security flaw in the kernel and these are very common.

h) Redhat/Mandrake/suse/gentoo/debian/ubuntu etc is not Linux. This one
is called the distribution switcher-roo. If you have a problem with
redhat you will be told to use ubuntu. If you have problem with ubuntu
you will be told to use redhat and on it goes endlessly.
It's a very convienient method of deflecting the attacks on Linux's
usefulness.

i) Accuse the poster of being someone else. This one is a pip. The cult
will just pick a name of a person in the group they don't like and
accuse you of being that person. Especially if you happen to be posting
from the same hemisphere as the person they hate. Again this is
carefully orchestrated offline to be effective and look random and
unbiased, but don't be fooled.

j) ANY negative Linux comment must be attacked. The cult will not stand
for even a solitary negative Linux comment to go unchecked no matter
how true it might be. Watch out for this one because the organized cult
will go for the jugular

I suggest everyone read the COLA Newcomer FAQ so they can learn what
kind of organized cult they are up against.
Here is a copy:

C.O.L.A. Newcomer FAQ and Primer
Edition: 14.079.0712P - 7/4/03
Group: comp.os.linux.advocacy
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 Linux Reality Team

Welcome to comp.os.linux.advocacy, otherwise known as cola. This
FAQ will try to address most of the issues regarding Linux and
this group. Unlike the other FAQs, this one will try to be as
realistic as possible. If you want the straight information from
real people, continue reading. If you would like to be told what
you want to hear, or read a bunch of misinformation that you will
regret later as you find things don't work as they should, feel free
to read one of the other "FAQS" in here.

OK, on to the info! ADDED NEW SECTION BELOW!

Here's a list of some frequently asked and answered question here
and elsewhere that you may find useful in your quest to try linux.
Read these carefully before you decide to invest time in Linux, you
may find that you have better things you can do instead.

SECTION ONE - INSTALLATION

--------------------------

1.1 Q: I heard linux was easy to install, is it?
A: That depends on what distro you try. Most of them will have
trouble detecting all your hardware. Most new hardware devices
are not supported. If your lucky you might be able to find
something that someone threw together on the net. But that's
after spending a couple hours searching and probably won't take
advantage of your hardware to it's fullest capability.

1.2 Q: Once I get it installed, then what?
A: Then you get the joy of making sure everything is configured
right. Plan on a minimum of two hours per device to get it to
work. That's if the device is even supported.

1.3 Q: What happens if I'm in the middle of an install and the
installation freezes or just stops?
A: You get to reboot and start all over again. This happens
every so often with Linux. It seems like it's buggy install
routines or something. Ain't Linux grand?

1.4 Q: What's the deal?! I installed Linux and it took up almost 2GB
hard drive space!
A: The Linux distros usually install a LOT of never-used programs
on the default install. You can pick and choose what you want,
but good luck figuring out what programs are needed and what is
useless, obscure tools. Linux usually installs stuff like 10
different editors, 12 different mail clients, and so on.

(more to come...)

SECTION TWO - CONFIGURATION

---------------------------

2.1 Q: What's with all these cryptic files?
A: All of Linux is configured with cryptic text files. Some of
the more user-friendly distros have configuration utilities
that claim to do it for you, but success with these works
sometimes and other times don't, so sometimes you have to
edit them by hand. With Linux's spotty reliability in UI
programming, you might as well get used to it.

2.2 Q: What is killall, HUP, ls, cat, rm, which, etc and why are
these programs telling me to do them? Arggg!!
A: These are command line programs that do things within the
system. It's what makes Linux a powerful OS for those that
are experienced with it. But it's also what makes it a pain
in the arse to use and inefficient as a desktop system. Who
wants to type all the time when they can just click?!

(more to come...)

SECTION THREE - APPLICATIONS

----------------------------

3.1 Q: Where can I get some programs to run on linux?
A: Good question. Because Linux doesn't have a large user base
on the desktop,(I think it's about 0.24%, less than 1%)
companies that make software won't write their programs for
Linux. There's a lot of community created programs out there,
and some are fairly good, but those are few and far between.
Most of the Linux software that tries to mimic it's windows
counterpart is substandard. It's usually slow and buggy and
early in development.

3.2 Q: I tried to install an RPM but I got 'failed dependencies', what
is that?
A: That's Linux's version of DLL hell. Different versions and
distros use different libraries. So unlike windows where
programs will run on many different versions, Linux programs
will fail if they're not made for your specific version.

3.3 Q: What is compiling and configure, make and make install? And
what is a makefile?
A: This is a way to build the programs from the source code
under Linux. When the question above fails, you can always
build it yourself. The advantage is that it works most of
the time. The disadvantage is that it takes forever to build
large programs, you need to know some cryptic commands and
you have to do all this on a command line. Unlike Windows
where you just double click and you are done.

3.4 Q: Can I go to my local store to buy any Linux applications?
A: Not really. You can buy Linux itself at various stores. But
not too many commercial companies make applications for Linux,
there's no profit in it with 0.24% of the desktop market.

(more to come...)

SECTION FOUR - SPEED ISSUES

---------------------------

4.1 Q: Why is Linux so slow?
A: Linux is built on the technology of the old UNIX OS's. Even
the graphical user interface of Linux is a separate program that
is the same type they used back in the older UNIX days. So
working with old technology will give you the old technology
responsiveness. Also, a lot of the GUI's, although nice to look
at, are still not mature. Using them is slow and sluggish
compared to, say, Windows.

(more to come...)

SECTION FIVE - CONSISTENCY

--------------------------

5.1 Q: Why are the windows different looking?
A: Since Linux isn't built by one company, group or have any
governing body, programs and interfaces can vary dramatically.
You can have everything from the nice look of KDE, to something
as ugly as TK and everything in between. You'll usually see some
varying UI stile in Linux.

5.2 Q: Should I buy Suse Linux?
A: No. They make it difficult to get it for free. All the other
distros provide free ISO's to download. Suse is the only one
that doesn't provide them but instead has a FTP install that's
hard to get to work. Why should they make it easy? The more
people that can't get the download to work have to spend $80
or more for the boxed set. And on top of all that although
it might have a few more user friendly tools, it's still the
same base Linux system that's in development and that all the
other distros are using. In other words, they're all on about
the same level of struggling to catch up to Windows, so you're
not going to find any earth-shattering features in one compared
to another.

(more to come...)

SECTION SIX - LINUX COMMUNITY

-----------------------------

6.1 Q: What is RTFM?!
A: This is an acronym for Read The Fuc*ing Manual. This is a common
answer you'll get when asking for help in the Linux community.
It's meant to make you feel inadequate while boating the Linux
persons ...

linux_reality_team wrote:

Just replying to two points, assuming others are either aware of the
high drivel-factor of this post or will post their corrections.

> 5.2 Q: Should I buy Suse Linux?
> A: No. They make it difficult to get it for free. All the other
> distros provide free ISO's to download. Suse is the only one
> that doesn't provide them but instead has a FTP install that's
> hard to get to work. Why should they make it easy? The more
> people that can't get the download to work have to spend $80
> or more for the boxed set. And on top of all that although
> it might have a few more user friendly tools, it's still the
> same base Linux system that's in development and that all the
> other distros are using. In other words, they're all on about
> the same level of struggling to catch up to Windows, so you're
> not going to find any earth-shattering features in one compared
> to another.

Actually, I got SuSE 9.3 for free. And SuSE 10.0 can be downloaded for
free as well. It's called "OpenSuSE" because SuSE includes a lot of
commercial, non-free programmes with its retail distribution, which they
obviously cannot do with the give-away version.

And BTW, it's not because I've been hacking away at a few of SuSE's
shortcomings lately that I don't think it's a good and capable
distribution. In fact, SuSE is an almost perfect distribution for people
who don't want do tinker with their system and have everything and the
kitchen sink at their fingertips.

> SECTION SIX - LINUX COMMUNITY
>
> -----------------------------
>
> 6.1 Q: What is RTFM?!
> A: This is an acronym for Read The Fuc*ing Manual. This is a common
> answer you'll get when asking for help in the Linux community.
> It's meant to make you feel inadequate while boating the Linux
> persons ...

RTFM means: "Read the Friendly Manual".

--
Karel "de Jazz" Jansens

"Those of us who fail history, are doomed to repeat it in summer school."
(Buffy Summers)

linux_reality_team wrote:

Looks like windope astroturfers are a gathering!

Would you believe in astroturfers donating all their free time free of
charge to micoshaft attacking free software growing poorer
by the minute while micoshaft executives are drawing
huge circles in the air and laughing all the way to their bank!

No.

So save yourself - there are hundreds of liveCDs out there
that perform better than windopes
http://www.livecdlist.com
No more viruses, no more spyware and adware infected machine.
Just insert liveCD like Knoppix, Mepis, DSL, boot up and away
you go surfing the internet. No need to install or or configure.
It automagically detects everything and just runs.
Things like Quantian have xmaxima that solves equations symbolically.
No student should be without it.

Karel "de Jazz" Jansens wrote:

> linux_reality_team wrote:
>
> Just replying to two points, assuming others are either aware of the
> high drivel-factor of this post or will post their corrections.
>
>> 5.2 Q: Should I buy Suse Linux?
>> A: No. They make it difficult to get it for free. All the other
>> distros provide free ISO's to download. Suse is the only one
>> that doesn't provide them but instead has a FTP install that's
>> hard to get to work. Why should they make it easy? The more
>> people that can't get the download to work have to spend $80
>> or more for the boxed set. And on top of all that although
>> it might have a few more user friendly tools, it's still the
>> same base Linux system that's in development and that all the
>> other distros are using. In other words, they're all on about
>> the same level of struggling to catch up to Windows, so you're
>> not going to find any earth-shattering features in one compared
>> to another.
>
> Actually, I got SuSE 9.3 for free. And SuSE 10.0 can be downloaded for
> free as well. It's called "OpenSuSE" because SuSE includes a lot of
> commercial, non-free programmes with its retail distribution, which they
> obviously cannot do with the give-away version.
>
> And BTW, it's not because I've been hacking away at a few of SuSE's
> shortcomings lately that I don't think it's a good and capable
> distribution. In fact, SuSE is an almost perfect distribution for people
> who don't want do tinker with their system and have everything and the
> kitchen sink at their fingertips.
>
>> SECTION SIX - LINUX COMMUNITY
>>
>> -----------------------------
>>
>> 6.1 Q: What is RTFM?!
>> A: This is an acronym for Read The Fuc*ing Manual. This is a common
>> answer you'll get when asking for help in the Linux community.
>> It's meant to make you feel inadequate while boating the Linux
>> persons ...
>
> RTFM means: "Read the Friendly Manual".
>

Don't waste your time on flatfish. It'll never learn.
--
"There is no dark side of the moon, really.
As a matter of fact, it's all dark"
--Roger, the Irish Doorman

On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 21:02:22 UTC, 7
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> So save yourself - there are hundreds of liveCDs out there
> that perform better than windopes

But Linux is just a jumped up wannabe UNIX - not the best solution
anyway. Get a real UNIX system (or BSD) if you want to go that way.

Now, stop crossposting to uk.telecom - we have enough crap from '7' at
the best of times.

--
[ 7'ism - a condition by which the sufferer experiences an inability
to give concise answers, express reasoned argument or opinion.
Usually accompanied by silly noises and gestures - incurable, early
euthanasia recommended. ]

linux_reality_team wrote:
> It seems that Linux fanatics are invading the internet prostletizing
> their new found religion. If you follow these debates you will easily
> see that they all follow the same flow chart, have the same answers and
> use the same techniques to attempt to convert the unknowing user to
> Linux.
> The purpose of this post is to expose some of the more common tactics
> used by the Linux cult to foist their trash upon others.
>
> 1. The main tactic is to focus on the user/poster of the message
> ratherthan discussing the message.
> IOW shoot the messenger instead of the
> message.
> The cult uses several techniques to accomplish this.
>
> a) You have no posting history, as if that matters when you are posting
> a link saying Intel claims desktop Linux is dead.
Smells like rotting fish...

>
> b) You are posting from Windows/google/OSX/open proxies etc. Yet the
> cult ignores their own who do exactly the same thing. Again the object
> is to attack the poster and hope the message disappears as the thread
> goes off into some weird discussion.
Yes, this is a good indication that you are a troll. After all, if your
message is reasonable, why hide behind an open proxy?

>
> c) Blame windows. This one is a form of thread hijacking. Example is
> the current pitiful state of Debian as it's latest (after 3 years!!!!)
> update hoses 30 percent of systems it is installed on.
Not mine.

> The cult will try and turn the discussion toward Windows while ignoring
> the topic of the message which is Debian's screwup.
Cite examples of my doing this.

>
> d)Go into Wolfpack mode, which means the cult will mobilize against you
> because they are all sharing messages offline and set up the attack so
> it looks like they are just random posts disagreeing with you when in
> fact it is an organized attack.
Here's something you might be interested in.

http://zapatopi.net/afdb/

>
> i) Accuse the poster of being someone else. This one is a pip. The cult
> will just pick a name of a person in the group they don't like and
> accuse you of being that person. Especially if you happen to be posting
> from the same hemisphere as the person they hate. Again this is
> carefully orchestrated offline to be effective and look random and
> unbiased, but don't be fooled.

A good indicator of a flat fish, is complaints about accusations
claiming that posters are actually flatfish nymshifting.

In article <(E-Mail Removed) .com>,
linux_reality_team <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:


> used by the Linux cult to foist their trash upon others.
And you are trying to be as unfair as possible using terms like 'cult'
and 'their trash'. Are you qualified to judge either one?

> the current pitiful state of Debian
Misdirection to a claim about a specific package that means nothing
about the OS as a whole.

> because they are all sharing messages offline
Paranoid garbage. Everyone isn't part of the same group, and I'm sure
almost no one is having conspiracy discussions _offline_.

> Maybe that's because there is nothing much to discuss about Linux
> because the user base is almost non-existant.
Another fair and unbiased, knonwledgeable assessment?
Two attacks in the same sentence, neither one supporting your statement.

> f) Linux is the kernel.
> g) Linux is NOT the kernel.
Conflicting statements like this suggest a lack of understanding of the
technical terminology; if you are trying to understand others, you have
to make allowances for mistakes. Holding people in casual discussion to
formally-exacting accuracy is failure on your own part.

> h) Redhat/Mandrake/suse/gentoo/debian/ubuntu etc is not Linux. This one
> is called the distribution switcher-roo.
This is the single complaint that I thought had merit here.
It is a serious disadvantage of an OS that the user has to switch from
one to another, let alone reinstall or switch packages.
As far as I am concerned, an OS is only good if the user can forget
about it entirely.

> will just pick a name of a person in the group they don't like and
> accuse you of being that person.
This is a casual comment, usually contributors that are makign fun of
others, not people intending to make a real comment about the thread.
Sometimes the discussion isn't entirely serious, you know.

> carefully orchestrated offline to be effective and look random and
> unbiased, but don't be fooled.
You have fooled yourself. I'd bet less than 1 in 1000 of the
contributors in a group have any way of contacting another offline.

> j) ANY negative Linux comment must be attacked.
In a pro-linux group? It shouldn't alarm you when you attack someone's
decision. It isn't always a matter simply of an accurate comment; you
also have an implicit attack, which generates a response.

> Watch out for this one because the organized cult
> will go for the jugular
Implies that people get real damage by being disagreed with -- alarmist.

> I suggest everyone read the COLA Newcomer FAQ so they can learn what
> kind of organized cult they are up against.

Okay; I found some pretty fair comments. Far too many negative ones to
accept that this is a Linux user's intro.
If you are the author, what is it you thought others would get from
this? You introduced it like it was going to confirm your 'cult' term,
or verify the attack mentality you were claiming.
Instead, you have me believing you can't be trusted to make any fair or
accurate comment at all, and so destroyed your own efforts.

You can say that again!
This asshole '7' has been crossposting to all the Windows groups in an
attempt to start flame wars over Linux.
He just doesn't get it that most of us are not interested in Linux, and
even if we are, we have no interest in his childish antics.
He really should grow up.






Bob Eager ha escrito:

> On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 21:02:22 UTC, 7
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> > So save yourself - there are hundreds of liveCDs out there
> > that perform better than windopes
>
> But Linux is just a jumped up wannabe UNIX - not the best solution
> anyway. Get a real UNIX system (or BSD) if you want to go that way.
>
> Now, stop crossposting to uk.telecom - we have enough crap from '7' at
> the best of times.
>
> --
> [ 7'ism - a condition by which the sufferer experiences an inability
> to give concise answers, express reasoned argument or opinion.
> Usually accompanied by silly noises and gestures - incurable, early
> euthanasia recommended. ]

OK - I was going to let this slide as 'just another silly MS troll', but
I can't, in good conscience do that.

On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 12:49:28 -0800,
linux_reality_team wrote:


> SECTION ONE - INSTALLATION
>
> --------------------------
>
> 1.1 Q: I heard linux was easy to install, is it?
> A: That depends on what distro you try. Most of them will have
> trouble detecting all your hardware. Most new hardware devices
> are not supported. If your lucky you might be able to find
> something that someone threw together on the net. But that's
> after spending a couple hours searching and probably won't take
> advantage of your hardware to it's fullest capability.

This is total B.S. I did two Linux installs (Elive and Ubuntu) and an
upgrade on a new computer two nights ago. Total elapsed time to a fully
functional system with triple boot (MS, Elive, Ubuntu) was about two
hours, and there were NO hardware problems at all.

>
> 1.2 Q: Once I get it installed, then what?
> A: Then you get the joy of making sure everything is configured
> right. Plan on a minimum of two hours per device to get it to
> work. That's if the device is even supported.

Total B.S. Most devices are recognized and set up during the installation.
Once I got the new computer installed and set up and on the local net, the
Brother HL1440 printer on another computer was all set up and ready to go
- WITH NO INTERVENTION AT ALL.

>
> 1.3 Q: What happens if I'm in the middle of an install and the
> installation freezes or just stops?
> A: You get to reboot and start all over again. This happens
> every so often with Linux. It seems like it's buggy install
> routines or something. Ain't Linux grand?

That very very rarely happens. In my general experience, it happens less
frequently with Linux than with MS.

>
> 1.4 Q: What's the deal?! I installed Linux and it took up almost 2GB
> hard drive space!
> A: The Linux distros usually install a LOT of never-used programs
> on the default install. You can pick and choose what you want,
> but good luck figuring out what programs are needed and what is
> useless, obscure tools. Linux usually installs stuff like 10
> different editors, 12 different mail clients, and so on.

Linux is all about CHOICE. There are usually several desktops and severl
web browsers. If you don't want them, then all you have to do is go into
the software management (GUI) tool, deselect and uninstall them. A very
simple procedure. Most major distributions allow you to select exactly
what you want at install. Even having all the stuff installed sure beats
the crap out of having to go to OfficeMax and pay several hundred dollars
for MS Office, Adobe Photoshop, etc. - all of which have very functional
replacements on most all Linux systems.

>
> (more to come...)
>
> SECTION TWO - CONFIGURATION
>
> ---------------------------
>
> 2.1 Q: What's with all these cryptic files?
> A: All of Linux is configured with cryptic text files. Some of
> the more user-friendly distros have configuration utilities
> that claim to do it for you, but success with these works
> sometimes and other times don't, so sometimes you have to
> edit them by hand. With Linux's spotty reliability in UI
> programming, you might as well get used to it.

Who knows? You don't have to be concerned with them.

>
> 2.2 Q: What is killall, HUP, ls, cat, rm, which, etc and why are
> these programs telling me to do them? Arggg!!
> A: These are command line programs that do things within the
> system. It's what makes Linux a powerful OS for those that
> are experienced with it. But it's also what makes it a pain
> in the arse to use and inefficient as a desktop system. Who
> wants to type all the time when they can just click?!

Exactly! I don't type all the time - I just click and use.

>
> (more to come...)
>
> SECTION THREE - APPLICATIONS
>
> ----------------------------
>
> 3.1 Q: Where can I get some programs to run on linux?
> A: Good question. Because Linux doesn't have a large user base
> on the desktop,(I think it's about 0.24%, less than 1%)
> companies that make software won't write their programs for
> Linux. There's a lot of community created programs out there,
> and some are fairly good, but those are few and far between.
> Most of the Linux software that tries to mimic it's windows
> counterpart is substandard. It's usually slow and buggy and
> early in development.

Most of it is already there. Need a word processor and a spreadsheet? Try
OpenOffice or AbiWord and Gnumeric. Need to edit some digital photos? Try
GIMP. Need to balance your checkbook? Try Gnucash, Kmymoney. Most other MS
software is free Open Source equivalents too.

>
> 3.2 Q: I tried to install an RPM but I got 'failed dependencies', what
> is that?
> A: That's Linux's version of DLL hell. Different versions and
> distros use different libraries. So unlike windows where
> programs will run on many different versions, Linux programs
> will fail if they're not made for your specific version.

You can usually find the package ready for your distribution so you don't
have to worry about it.

>
> 3.3 Q: What is compiling and configure, make and make install? And
> what is a makefile?
> A: This is a way to build the programs from the source code
> under Linux. When the question above fails, you can always
> build it yourself. The advantage is that it works most of
> the time. The disadvantage is that it takes forever to build
> large programs, you need to know some cryptic commands and
> you have to do all this on a command line. Unlike Windows
> where you just double click and you are done.

Who cares - just click on the package you want in the system installer and
then 'apply' - it's done.

>
> 3.4 Q: Can I go to my local store to buy any Linux applications?
> A: Not really. You can buy Linux itself at various stores. But
> not too many commercial companies make applications for Linux,
> there's no profit in it with 0.24% of the desktop market.

No. And you don't need to. It's probably already installed. If not, it's a
few clicks away.

>
> (more to come...)
>
> SECTION FOUR - SPEED ISSUES
>
> ---------------------------
>
> 4.1 Q: Why is Linux so slow?
> A: Linux is built on the technology of the old UNIX OS's. Even
> the graphical user interface of Linux is a separate program that
> is the same type they used back in the older UNIX days. So
> working with old technology will give you the old technology
> responsiveness. Also, a lot of the GUI's, although nice to look
> at, are still not mature. Using them is slow and sluggish
> compared to, say, Windows.

It isn't. It is generally significantly faster than MS.

>
> (more to come...)
>
> SECTION FIVE - CONSISTENCY
>
> --------------------------
>
> 5.1 Q: Why are the windows different looking?
> A: Since Linux isn't built by one company, group or have any
> governing body, programs and interfaces can vary dramatically.
> You can have everything from the nice look of KDE, to something
> as ugly as TK and everything in between. You'll usually see some
> varying UI stile in Linux.

Because there are a variety of Desktop Environments, done by different
folks - CHOICE. You can usually select a desktop theme that will make
everything pretty much the way you'd like it. With MS - if you don't like
the desktop - T.S. - that's the only choice.

>
> 5.2 Q: Should I buy Suse Linux?
> A: No. They make it difficult to get it for free. All the other
> distros provide free ISO's to download. Suse is the only one
> that doesn't provide them but instead has a FTP install that's
> hard to get to work. Why should they make it easy? The more
> people that can't get the download to work have to spend $80
> or more for the boxed set. And on top of all that although
> it might have a few more user friendly tools, it's still the
> same base Linux system that's in development and that all the
> other distros are using. In other words, they're all on about
> the same level of struggling to catch up to Windows, so you're
> not going to find any earth-shattering features in one compared
> to another.

You can if you want. It's always good to support good software. If you
don't want to, you can download and use it for free. Of course, the free
versions do not come with support.

>
> (more to come...)
>
> SECTION SIX - LINUX COMMUNITY
>
> -----------------------------
>
> 6.1 Q: What is RTFM?!
> A: This is an acronym for Read The Fuc*ing Manual. This is a common
> answer you'll get when asking for help in the Linux community.
> It's meant to make you feel inadequate while boating the Linux
> persons ...

It's a common response from a lot of Linux 'experts'. Probably they don't
really know, or they'd at least tell you which manual.

George Ellison wrote:
> Karel "de Jazz" Jansens wrote:
>
>
>>linux_reality_team wrote:
>>
>>Just replying to two points, assuming others are either aware of the
>>high drivel-factor of this post or will post their corrections.
>>
>>
>>>5.2 Q: Should I buy Suse Linux?
>>>A: No. They make it difficult to get it for free. All the other
>>>distros provide free ISO's to download. Suse is the only one
>>>that doesn't provide them but instead has a FTP install that's
>>>hard to get to work. Why should they make it easy? The more
>>>people that can't get the download to work have to spend $80
>>>or more for the boxed set. And on top of all that although
>>>it might have a few more user friendly tools, it's still the
>>>same base Linux system that's in development and that all the
>>>other distros are using. In other words, they're all on about
>>>the same level of struggling to catch up to Windows, so you're
>>>not going to find any earth-shattering features in one compared
>>>to another.
>>
>>Actually, I got SuSE 9.3 for free. And SuSE 10.0 can be downloaded for
>>free as well. It's called "OpenSuSE" because SuSE includes a lot of
>>commercial, non-free programmes with its retail distribution, which they
>>obviously cannot do with the give-away version.
>>
>>And BTW, it's not because I've been hacking away at a few of SuSE's
>>shortcomings lately that I don't think it's a good and capable
>>distribution. In fact, SuSE is an almost perfect distribution for people
>>who don't want do tinker with their system and have everything and the
>>kitchen sink at their fingertips.
>>
>>
>>>SECTION SIX - LINUX COMMUNITY
>>>
>>>-----------------------------
>>>
>>>6.1 Q: What is RTFM?!
>>>A: This is an acronym for Read The Fuc*ing Manual. This is a common
>>>answer you'll get when asking for help in the Linux community.
>>>It's meant to make you feel inadequate while boating the Linux
>>>persons ...
>>
>>RTFM means: "Read the Friendly Manual".
>>
>
>
> Don't waste your time on flatfish. It'll never learn.

S/h/it wasted s/h/its time on me; I can but repay the favour.

--
Karel "de Jazz" Jansens

"Those of us who fail history, are doomed to repeat it in summer school."
(Buffy Summers)