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Linux Snobs, The Real Barriers to Entry
McSnarf writes "It's not Windows. It's not distro wars. Sometimes it's just the arrogant attitude that keeps people from switching from Windows.
'As I spoke to newbies, one Windows user who wanted to learn about Linux shared the encouraging and constructive note (not) he received from one of the project members. The responding note read:
"Hi jackass, RTFM and stop wasting our time trying to help you children learn.""
What a goddamn bitch. I can only hope and pray he got his ass mauled every day in high school.
Slashdot is proof that Sturgeon's Law applies to mankind.
Open source software projects can rarely afford to run a helpdesk. To benefit from free software, you must learn how it works on your own. If you're having a serious inexplicable problem, most developers are glad to help. Everyone accepts this except the newbie, who often feels entitled to free software and free hand holding.
What other industry caters to the lowest-level of human? Does anyone really expect Ford or Chevrolet to answer questions about where the key goes? No. It's in the manual that comes with the car. Does Tivo walk all of its users through recording a show? No, it's in the manual.
Users of software should be obligated to at least read their manuals, even if they don't understand them. The readme is the first line of defense against newbies. An incredible amount of time is spent answering every conceivable question in a FAQ so it doesn't need to be done everytime they come up.
Users shouldn't feel entitled to free help given that time is DONATED. It takes some arrogance to criticize a charitable developer for not finding the already published answer for them. If this vital time is wasted on simple questions, it pollutes knowledge bases and makes difficult answers harder to find. Newbie questions are bad for the community.
I can say that I've been on the receiving end of the most assinine questions. Most of the answers involve common sense or can be had by reading the directions. I've worked helpdesk, which is why I'll never do it again.
In case you think I'm taking too hard of an edge, here's two real life helpdesk questions (from back in the day - same user):
"My computer is broken. I don't know what happened. It just broke. Please hurry and fix it!"
- Turned on the monitor
"There's an error message on my screen. I don't know what it says. Can you come and fix it?"
"What does it say?"
"I don't know!"
- Message reads: "Your printer is out of paper. Insert paper into tray 1"
This article seems as much flamebait as anything.
Next time you go to the beach take a large bucket. You'll find it more convenient to bury your head in the sand if you have some handy.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer