Am I the only one that thinks tech people go overboard?

[Wolfen69]

I'm just so tired of the constant bickering, debating, chest pounding that seem to permeate computer forums. Does it really matter if one distro/OS is more popular than another? How does beating your chest help things? I'm sick of ALL computer forums because of how people act as if their choice is life or death.

I personally feel comfortible using ubuntu. Does that make me a bad person? Is my mother a bad mother because she has a 23" imac? It just seems to be getting to the point where people are judged according to what OS they use. The debates are similarly ridiculous. If you have nothing to do with coding, in reality your opinion is just that. An opinion. Why do people get so heated over computers as compared to other issues?

It just seems that maybe love, relationships, kids, death (the big one) money, jobs, etc, would seem more important. Yet people still want to argue what DE/OS/Computer manufacturer is better. Why? There's something out there for all of us without the need to argue. I'm scratching my head big time on this one.

[bimsebasse]

You're not alone, wolfen, the whole my-chosen-OS/program-can-beat-your-chosen-OS/program-any-time is intensely kindergarten - this place is relatively adult in that respect though, try to follow OMGubuntu blog comments to see some proper toddler rage. I don't think it's "tech people" as much as boys being boys.

[Aging Technogeek]

The saddest thing is that it is a very small, very vocal minority of forum members that cause these heated exchanges and flame wars. Most computer users are adult enough (even the chronological children) to realize that an OS is simply a tool to get a job done. You pick the best tool for the job you have to do and use it.

I have always been somewhat perplexed and quite disappointed by the type of person who uses their choice of something, be it an Operating System, an automobile, a sports team or anything else, to define who they are. I personally feel that I am defined by the lifetime of actions, both good andbad, that I have performed. These other things are inconsequential. Why fight over them?

[aes2011]

... It just seems that maybe love, relationships, kids, death (the big one) money, jobs, etc, would seem more important. Yet people still want to argue what DE/OS/Computer manufacturer is better. Why? There's something out there for all of us without the need to argue. I'm scratching my head big time on this one.

People argue endlessly about those too. I don't think "tech people" are alone in this

[/dev/urandom]

We "tech people" seem to be the only kind of people who don't care which OS is "known" and which is not. "I use Ubuntu/Mint, it has to be good because everyone else is using it too". Oh well. Also, the Linux hype perverted the target audience of Linux. There is no place for those who know what a terminal is anymore. Sigh.

[dogsolitude_uk]

I hear you

I'm pretty much platform-agnostic (if you catch my drift). I believe one should just go with whatever one feels happy/comfortable using.

I genuinely don't mind what other people use: Canon or Nikon, Windows/Linux/Mac, Chessmaster/Fritz, Xbox/Playstation, nVidia/ATI... Why the blazes should I?

As a result, I won't argue with people about which 'thingy' is better than any other 'thingy'. Life's too short. I got over that kind of thing when I was 11 and arguing about the Spectrum/Commodore 64.

Likewise, I should imagine the majority of people really don't care which Distro you use or what PC your Mum uses.

Here's something to consider: those of us who don't mind one way or the other won't be adding to the online arguments about platform superiority, and so that's probably why it looks as if the world is a huge ideological battleground when viewed through the lense of internet discussion forums. The only people that post or contribute to those discussions are those in a vocal minority with egos to massage and an axe to grind.

... It just seems that maybe love, relationships, kids, death (the big one) money, jobs, etc, would seem more important. Yet people still want to argue what DE/OS/Computer manufacturer is better. Why? There's something out there for all of us without the need to argue. I'm scratching my head big time on this one.

People argue endlessly about those too. I don't think "tech people" are alone in this

...and they probably argue about them down the pub rather than online! And if you want to see some *really* heated discussions, get onto a newsaper website or The Economist when there's a discussion about a story about the Middle East.

I remember when I worked in a shop: at the end of the week you'd only remember the couple of difficult customers, not the hundreds of decent polite folk that pass through the doors.

[lexon]

Of course you are not alone. That should be obvious. Just a lot of blah, blah, blah. Yes, I am as bored as all here in this thread.
I guess I will head out on the bike and enjoy life.

L

[steveking]

Unfortunately if you logg onto a computer forum you will get that because its what computer geeks do "My knowledge of ubuntu is better than your knowledge of Fedora because fedora sucks" etc. on the other hand I have found in some groups that some users tend to be alot more helpful and interested in how it works rather than 'beating their chests'.

I am a windows/Linux user. I use a variety of distro's but tbh I will not use Mac. Not that I don't like it its just the fact that it is based off of BSD in some shiny hardware and suddenly it becoimes a hell of a lot more expensive.