freebsd - for the win

[Chad Perrin]

On Sat, Jun 12, 2010 at 01:12:55PM -0700, Chip Camden wrote:
> 
> Call me fatalistic, but I think there is a direct relationship between
> FreeBSD's high quality and it's lack of popularity.  If it catered to the
> common herd, its compromises would be many.

I believe there is such a relationship, too.  I think the obvious way to
interpret this recognition of the relationship is as a causal
relationship where lack of popularity is what (helps/makes) FreeBSD
maintain higher quality, but I think that's mostly the wrong way around.

Rather, it is the focus on quality over quantity that keeps it
"unpopular" (relative to other OSes, anyway).  I also believe that is the
correct decision, without reservation.  There are things that could be
done to improve FreeBSD's suitability and attractiveness to a wider
audience without sacrificing that focus on quality at all -- that could,
in fact, improve that attractiveness while serving the focus in quality.
Such things tend to get neglected, though, and I think it is in part
because of a negative reaction to the idea that populism involves
sacrifices of quality.

Popularity, per se, does not result in poorer quality.  Populism,
however, does -- and both greater popularity *and* a desire for greater
popularity can create populism.  Note that I'm using the term "populism"
in a pejorative, apolitical sense, and not in the sense of advocacy for
the rights of the people, et cetera.

Anyway . . . for my OS of choice (FreeBSD at the moment), I'd much rather
err on the side of elitism and quality than on that of egalitarianism and
quantity.  I just find the occasional statement (which I do *not* think
is what you were saying) that we should actively *avoid* popularity for
the sake of quality quite annoying.  I just find the occasional statement
(which I do *not* think is what you were saying) that we should actively
*avoid* popularity for the sake of quality . . . well, I find it quite
annoying.

-- 
Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]
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