OpenBSD is my operating system of choice. I want to have many people
use it, if only because then it has a higher chance of surviving. Many people
want the same thing, and some of them are actively telling about
OpenBSD to other people, often in public newsgroups. This is advocacy,
and it's one good way to spread the word on OpenBSD.
Unfortunately, some of these people seem to suffer from what has been
called the Amiga syndrome: whenever anyone discusses computers, the
stereotypical Amiga user will always claim that the Amiga is a better,
faster, cheaper, more user-friendly computer than any other, ever, and
any
opposing view is treated as treachery, oppression, and a declaration of
nuclear war. Some OpenBSD users are using the same tactics. They make
both themselves and OpenBSD look bad. I'd like to stop this by making a few
suggestions for advocating OpenBSD better.
There's no enforcement of these suggestions, nor will there be (the
mere idea is horrible). OpenBSD users are supposed to have brains. If
you don't think I'm making sense, fine. One of us might consider the
other an idiot, but that's life.
Stay calm. There's no reason to get excited. If someone says
something about OpenBSD that you don't like, so what? It's just
computers, it's not important.
Don't take it personally. Even if OpenBSD is your dream system,
there's no
reason to be offended if someone points out problems with OpenBSD (even
if you wrote that part of OpenBSD, which you probably didn't). It's not
a statement about you personally. If they flame OpenBSD users, they're
idiots and you should ignore them. They're probably just trying to get
some attention.
Ignore flame baits. Like I said, some people just want
attention. They enjoy starting long flame wars by cross posting
something insulting to
several unrelated groups (e.g., both to Linux and OpenBSD groups).
Don't respond to these posts. It isn't productive.
Stick to facts. If someone says something wrong about OpenBSD,
reply with
the correct facts. Make sure they're facts, though, not just something
you heard about. Don't spread lies or rumors. Check your facts. If you
don't
know how to do that, then perhaps you shouldn't take part in the
discussion, except perhaps by making questions. Even better, give
references so that other people can also check the facts.
OpenBSD is not flawless. OpenBSD has bugs, including design
problems. If someone points out something that is wrong with OpenBSD,
acknowledge it
and do something constructive, like forward it to the proper maintainer
or fix it yourself. Find a workaround. Write a summary of the problem
and
make it publically available. Don't just whine.
Don't flame other systems. Perhaps Linux does crash more often
than OpenBSD (although I have no hard data on this, just anecdotes, so
I don't
know if it is true; remember, facts only). That doesn't mean you tell
it to every Linux user. If you must say something about other systems,
keep
to facts (and make doubly sure they're facts) and present them politely.
Don't flame people because they use other systems. Ever.
Bill Gates is not Satan. Some people claim that Microsoft's
business practices are immoral (or at least overly predatory). I don't
know if this
is true, but using such claims as arguments does not make the
discussion productive. Conspiracy theories sound really, really silly
(as long as
they're theories; feel free to provide verified facts).
We aren't taking over the world. There's no reason to get
offended if someone claims many more people use Linux than OpenBSD.
It's true. It
doesn't matter. No-one knows how many OpenBSD users there are. That
doesn't matter, either. Market share isn't the goal. Solving problems
is
the goal. Having fun is the goal.
OpenBSD can't replace Windows. Windows has applications that
OpenBSD lacks. There's no reason to get excited about it. Windows can't
replace
OpenBSD, either. No system is perfect for all things. Don't make
yourself look ridiculous by claiming that LaTeX is a better word
processor for the masses than MS Word. If you want OpenBSD to have
better applications than Windows, write them or encourage others with
something better than talk.
Avoid crossposts. Many advocacy discussions live long because
they're cross posted to many popular groups for specific systems.
Whenever someone
says something about one system, there's a whole bunch of people who
will jump on him, just because he's supporting a system different from
theirs. If you must cross post advocacy discussions, only crosspost to
advocacy groups (such as comp.os.OpenBSD.advocacy). Never, ever cross
post to other
groups, it ruins them. If you respond to an advocacy thread that is
cross posted to a non-advocacy group, remove the non-advocacy group.
Keep to the OpenBSD groups. Don't go to non-OpenBSD groups to
pick a fight. Each advocacy group exists for discussion about one
particular
system. Don't try to invade other advocacy groups. That's rude. No-one
likes big-mouthed strangers.
See Also:
What BYTE wrote about Linux users in February, 1996
All images used on this page are copyrighted by OpenBSD,
by Theo de Raadt, or by developers or members of the OpenBSD group.
This document was ripped and posted here with the permission (via email) from Dug Song.
