(FreeBSD) for Linux Users

[Matt Olander]

nice work Matt! thanks ;)

cheers,
-matt

On Wed, Jan 14, 2004 at 10:26:55PM -0600, Matthew D. Fuller wrote:
> [ Combined a few responses since they overlap mostly ]
> 
> Peter / David,
> 
> > 1) Adjust the color scheme. It makes it somewhat
> > difficult to read though the site.
> 
> In the time my page has been up with that color scheme, most people have
> really liked it.  However, there's always been a sizable minority who
> really dislike it, and a number who just can't deal with it at all.  So,
> I've always had it on my "someday" list to go ahead and put together a
> few alternate stylesheets.  And this is as good an excuse as any.
> 
> So, if you'll look at the bottom of the navbar, there's a selector for a
> few alternate color schemes.  Hopefully, one of them should be a little
> less painful for you.
> 
> 
> > 3) The connection is very, very slow.
> 
> While the connection isn't exactly a speed demon, the pages are pretty
> light.  Once in a while, though, it does just drop out for a few minutes;
> you may have hit it over that.
> 
> 
> > 4) Deeper coverage on packages vs. ports with emphasis
> > to portupgrade.
> 
> These are the sort of things I was intentionally avoiding.  There's lots
> of resources on the Hows; my feeling is that when you don't understand
> the Whys, you'll have a hard time finding the Hows, and a harder time
> understanding them when you DO find them.  I want to try and delineate
> the Whys, with just enough How to demonstrate them.
> 
> If I tried to do both, it would be even LONGER.  Nobody wants that   :)
> 
> 
> > 5) Remove "Chaos vs. Order". Your slamming a
> > development model. Both models have merit (compare and
> > contrast). 
> 
> I wasn't slamming it.  The Linux model practically requires, just by its
> very construction, an abundance of chaos.  That's not necessarily _BAD_,
> and I didn't intend for it to be taken as pejorative.  I've added a
> comment making it a bit more explicit.
> 
> Y'see, this is why I hate this kind of writing.  Sooner or later, someone
> [not directed at you, but just in general] is going to come up with
> "That's not always true" or "That doesn't mean we're wrong" or so on.
> How many times do I have to write "These are all generalizations riddled
> with exceptions, and when I say 'X is Y' that doesn't imply a value
> judgement" in one essay?!
> 
> 
> > 6) Remove the ego. IE:  "BSD users are a bunch of
> > elitist self-centered rude snobs." Yup. And proud of
> > it. "
> 
> That's supposed to be irony, not ego.  Smiley added to clarify.
> 
> I've always been a bit uncomfortable with that section anyway.  How do
> you prove or disprove a charge of "elitism"?  It's either going to be
> both sides handwaving and saying "It seems to me", or you're going to
> pull out some kind of bizarre statistic.  Pretty icky either way.
> 
> I've gone through and done some reworking and clarification in it, and
> added a bit more.
> 
> 
> > One other thought, how about bumping up the Philosophy
> > and myths up towards the top and dispel some of the
> > preconceived notions about BSD.
> 
> I messed a lot with the ordering of the pieces (the "Design" and
> "Technical" sections, particularly, flip-flopped at least a half dozen
> times).  I think making those moves (to me) makes it not flow quite as
> well, since you're trying to understand the really abstract before the
> concrete.
> 
> However, it is intentional in my rants that they be at least somewhat
> random-access.  I've written it to be read all the way through, but with
> an eye toward keeping it usable by picking out pieces.  That's one reason
> I have the indexes everywhere (that, and I *HATE* sites with multi-page
> articles, that don't provide indexes, or only in special places).  It's
> not perfect, but it gives a little flexibility.
> 
> 
> > PS: don't forget to mention that their is ~10,000
> > prog's in the ports collection. A huge bonus. 
> 
> Well, shoot; I thought I put that in there!  I sprinkled a few mentions
> in the Program Availability myth section; it seems the best place for it
> to have an impact.
> 
> 
> > 2) It is very critical of Linux users.
> > 3) Remove personal bias
> > 2) It is way too condescending towards Linux and Linux users.
> > 7) Most important; be objective.
> 
> This is the hardest one, because so much of its interpretation is
> subjective.  Some parts of the essay WERE, in fact, written after I'd
> just spent 12 hours wrestling with something that should have taken about
> 10 minutes, but didn't because of the way the [Linux] system was put
> together.  I hate RPMs (and all binary packages for that matter) with a
> passion that knows no bounds.
> 
> I think it's impossible to write anything like this, and avoid making any
> value judgements anywhere.  I try to make it obvious and severable where
> I AM doing so, and to never do it unwittingly.  I went over the whole
> thing, both piecemeal and as a whole, many times before I stuck it up on
> the web.  However, when you read anything (particularly your own writing)
> that many times, you get so used to it and so sick of it that you WILL
> miss those sort of things.
> 
> With some more distance, I've gone through it again and fiddled with a
> lot of wording and added some clarifications.  I'd appreciate any
> pointers to specific sections that you still find particularly egregious
> in those ways.
> 
> 
> > I applaud your work in the advocacy of *BSD. Please do
> > not the above statements in a negative way.  You do
> > have great foundation to the site. I like the lay out
> > and the index.
> 
> I take it as constructive criticism (which I _hope_ is in the spirit it's
> intended :).  I know a lot about me; particularly, I know that I hate
> criticism and get very defensive and stubborn about it.  I s'pose it's
> probably some sort of character flaw or something.  Still, I try.
> 
> 
> I hope some of the changes I've made help cover your concerns.  Please,
> if you can, go through it again and see if it works better for you, and
> if (as above in the 'bias' section) there's anything you could
> specifically point me at.
> 
> 
> Thanks loads, guys.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Matthew Fuller     (MF4839)   |  fullermd at over-yonder.net
> Systems/Network Administrator |  http://www.over-yonder.net/~fullermd/
> 
> "The only reason I'm burning my candle at both ends, is because I
>       haven't figured out how to light the middle yet"
> _______________________________________________
> freebsd-advocacy at freebsd.org mailing list
> http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-advocacy
> To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-advocacy-unsubscribe at freebsd.org"

-- 
Matt Olander
(408)943-4100 Phone
(408)943-4101 Fax
www.offmyserver.com
--
"Those who don't read have no advantage over those who can't"
-Mark Twain