[geeks] Can't decide on an OS

[Lionel Peterson]

+1

Here in my home town we had[0] a Linux activist that insisted the local school
district could save untold millions by only using Linux on ten year-old
hardware, he 'proved' this by using ten year-old hardware at home.

He refused to acknowledge that the daily usage models of a home computer were
a bit different than public use computers in a K-12 classroom setting, he
'knew' that all we needed were a sufficient number of Ethernet ports on
unmanaged switches spread across 7 campuses to support 1,500 computers, and
wireless deployments across those seven campuses required nothing more
elaborate than an infinite number of consumer home routers acting as access
points.

He also felt our Cisco VoIP solution could be replaced by SKYPE (again, proven
in his home 'lab'), and so on.

At one point, the Superintendent agreed to try Linux on an older laptop, but
the fellow couldn't install it on those particular laptops for various
reasons, but he blamed the schools lousy wireless network, slow ISP
connection, sabotage by the school IT staff (who by the way were all
incompetent according to him), and a lack of time (the Superintendent gave him
two hours after work, then let him take the laptops home, but still failed in
his attempt - he got hung up on a driver for an obscure dell WiFi card as I
recall).

And whenever he was questioned, he would play the degree card and use his
Brown PHD in Chemical a Engineering to prove he was right... When I debated
him I refused to accept his degree as proof of his expertise, and I also
refused to share my academic pedigree, as it was equally irrelevant to the
discussion as was his...

To address his purported 'groundswell' of interest in Linux in the community,
I put on two presentations on the subject at the local library - about 10
people showed up (including our local advocate), and the topic the folks were
most interested in was 'what could I do with that cheap Linux netbook I bought
since I can't run office on it?'

[0] His crusade ended after three failed attempts to join the school board.
His got fewer votes in each succeeding attempt.

Lionel

> On Sep 25, 2013, at 12:48 PM, Mouse <mouse at Rodents-Montreal.ORG> wrote:
>
> The biggest problem I have with Linux proselytization (or, based on the
> dictionary definition I find, attempted proselytization) is that it is
> usually, certainly far too often for my taste, more than that: it
> shades off into a "can do no wrong" attitude and "in your face even in
> defiance of active rejection" behaviour, each of which I find
> distasteful in any field, even when I agree with the attitudes and
> messages nominally being pushed.