Why FreeBSD not popular on hardware vendors

[michael]

Tyson Boellstorff wrote:
> On Thursday 11 December 2008 13:55:04 Chad Perrin wrote:
>   
>> On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 08:32:20PM +0100, Wojciech Puchar wrote:
>>     
>>>> Please stop trolling.
>>>>         
>>> having different opinion than yours isn't trolling.
>>> and i WILL NOT stop writing my opinions just because your is different.
>>>       
>> It's not just that you have a different opinion than me -- it's that
>> every time someone brings up anything related to migration from some
>> other OS to FreeBSD, you basically tell them to go away.  This is
>> unproductive, leads to endless argument on the mailing list, and
>> generally makes everyone unhappy.  That sounds suspiciously like trolling
>> to me.
>>     
>
> In Wojciech's defense, he is technically skilled, has found use for FreeBSD, 
> and spends his time on the mailing list answering questions. I enjoy his 
> opinions, and if FreeBSD ever needed a BOFH, he'd be my first choice. Not to 
> say that he knows everything about everything -- that's my Ex's job.
>
> The answers he gives are somewhat abrupt and definitely coloured by his 
> experiences and ego -- if you want your hand held, he is not your guy. 
> However, he has valid points, and isn't trolling. It's just who he is. It's a 
> cultural thing, and his input is valuable enough that I don't filter him out 
> or stir him up. If you recall, on the mailing list, there are cautions not to 
> waste people's time with FAQ questions due to the response they may get, and 
> from what I've seen over time, the people on the list have been kind and gone 
> well beyond the 'RTFM' answer I'd have given most inquiries if it was up to 
> me. 
>
> I guess what I'm saying is that Wojciech acts well within the expected 
> guidelines on the list, and if you don't like his answers, you certainly are 
> not obligated to respond. I don't respond to 99% of his responses, but I am 
> seeing a dogpile coming on, and I'm not so sure that's a good idea.
>
> If we want FreeBSD to grow to where vendors pick up obscure and not-so-obscure 
> devices and support it more than it is now, we need publicity. If we need 
> publicity, we need marketing types. If we need marketing types, we need to 
> pay them, and we need to put up with them, and even be nice to them. I'm not 
> so sure I want to pay that price. 
>
> As it stands right now, it's a meritocracy -- those with the skills share 
> their work with others with the skills. It is bound together by the respect 
> we have for each other, and there's not much name-calling going on. The 
> product is technically sound, has better hardware support than other *ixes (I 
> run OpenBSD on servers -- but not on the laptop beause of the lack of laptop 
> support), and gets the job done well. The documentation is simply phenomenal. 
> I'm good with that. I'm also more than pleased that there are barriers to 
> entry based upon a basic unix knowledge level -- I've had one too many 
> encounters with the unwashed to want to go that direction. Linux developers 
> spend more time catering to that crowd, and IMO, it suffers for it as much as 
> it benefits from it.
>
> If someone wants to commercialize FreeBSD, they are welcome to do so within 
> the terms of the license -- the more the merrier. But asking the list to 
> hand-hold is a bit much -- we're adults here with real jobs that we should be 
> doing. Getting an opinion from a person with skills isn't such a bad thing, 
> and I think the list benefits from his knowledge. To be completely honest, 
> I'd rather get the right information from a person who cannot relate than no 
> answer at all from people who are more friendly.
>   
I agree. nothing wrong with his posts. the mailing list was never 
described as a warm, social gather. you want answers, and you get them 
here. i for one would rather him be abrupt and short. no need for the 
pomp and circumstance.
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