May 16, 2007 Archives
Wed May 16 18:34:13 CEST 2007
[EN] Mack Trucks versus Sedans
From a BSD Forum:
[..] FreeBSD users generally don't take kindly to uninformed comparisons of FreeBSD to Linux - especially where ease-of-use and desktop fluffiness are the topics. At least for myself, I choose FreeBSD over Linux because it is an engineered system that respects my desires to be in deliberate control of the system.
That level of operator interaction is not easy or quick to attain for a newer user familiar with Linux, and the general reaction seems to inevitably be "Linux is so much easier, why is FreeBSD t3h suck so bad?". FreeBSD is not designed to be a Windows replacement, unlike so many Linux distributions.
Comparing a Linux distribution to FreeBSD is kind of like comparing a 4-door sedan to a Mack truck. Both are automobiles, both have engines, both use gasoline, both can carry passengers and/or cargo, and you'll see both on the highway trying to pass an old dude in a jackrabbit that can't get above 45mph.
But the sedan makes special amenities to the passengers like a fancy audio system, iPod dock, heated/cooled coasters, bucket seats, and floor mats; while the Mack truck has special attention put to its load capacity, reliability, and operator control of the engine, transmission, and cargo area (some even have one of those shiny metal girls on the grill) .
Now, the Mack truck driver can definitely spruce up his truck cabin and make it just as comfortable as the sedan's interior, although some of the things designed for the sedan may or may not be adaptable to the Mack truck, and certainly a sedan driver would be scared off by the spartan interior of a stock Mack truck.
But when the sedan driver tells the Mack truck driver "Mack trucks are stupid. Why don't they have iPod docks?", the Mack truck driver gets a little annoyed - in this example it's painfully obvious why a Mack truck doesn't come with an iPod dock, but there are some Linux users out there that honestly don't know why there are Mack trucks in addition to sedans, and those are the ones that typically walk off feeling offended after asking such a question and not getting the response they want. They want the Mack truck to adopt the features they like of the sedan, but the Mack truck drivers have other interests.
Just as well, there are some Mack truck drivers who think all sedans should be replaced by Mack trucks, and some sedan drivers that think that all Mack trucks should be replaced by sedans. Neither camp gets it, there's plenty of room on the highway for both vehicles, and the drivers should feel free to use the one that suits their tasks and personality best.
(You are reading this blogpost on a Mack truck)
[..] FreeBSD users generally don't take kindly to uninformed comparisons of FreeBSD to Linux - especially where ease-of-use and desktop fluffiness are the topics. At least for myself, I choose FreeBSD over Linux because it is an engineered system that respects my desires to be in deliberate control of the system.
That level of operator interaction is not easy or quick to attain for a newer user familiar with Linux, and the general reaction seems to inevitably be "Linux is so much easier, why is FreeBSD t3h suck so bad?". FreeBSD is not designed to be a Windows replacement, unlike so many Linux distributions.
Comparing a Linux distribution to FreeBSD is kind of like comparing a 4-door sedan to a Mack truck. Both are automobiles, both have engines, both use gasoline, both can carry passengers and/or cargo, and you'll see both on the highway trying to pass an old dude in a jackrabbit that can't get above 45mph.
But the sedan makes special amenities to the passengers like a fancy audio system, iPod dock, heated/cooled coasters, bucket seats, and floor mats; while the Mack truck has special attention put to its load capacity, reliability, and operator control of the engine, transmission, and cargo area (some even have one of those shiny metal girls on the grill) .
Now, the Mack truck driver can definitely spruce up his truck cabin and make it just as comfortable as the sedan's interior, although some of the things designed for the sedan may or may not be adaptable to the Mack truck, and certainly a sedan driver would be scared off by the spartan interior of a stock Mack truck.
But when the sedan driver tells the Mack truck driver "Mack trucks are stupid. Why don't they have iPod docks?", the Mack truck driver gets a little annoyed - in this example it's painfully obvious why a Mack truck doesn't come with an iPod dock, but there are some Linux users out there that honestly don't know why there are Mack trucks in addition to sedans, and those are the ones that typically walk off feeling offended after asking such a question and not getting the response they want. They want the Mack truck to adopt the features they like of the sedan, but the Mack truck drivers have other interests.
Just as well, there are some Mack truck drivers who think all sedans should be replaced by Mack trucks, and some sedan drivers that think that all Mack trucks should be replaced by sedans. Neither camp gets it, there's plenty of room on the highway for both vehicles, and the drivers should feel free to use the one that suits their tasks and personality best.
(You are reading this blogpost on a Mack truck)