oreilly.com: Stef, what's it like working with a bunch of geeks who don't appreciate the importance of marketing?
Stef: Remember the last time you had a hemorrhoidal flare-up? Same experience.
IE is perfectly secure. Please log in to our bank http://robyoublind.com. We will safely store such information as your credit card numbers, ATM pin numbers, etc. We will offer you the best interest rates anywhere; just send us all your money. You can trust us.
It does not mater what "Osama" wants; he is a criminal and should be tried and executed if found guilty (of capital crimes). What the people of Saudi Arabia want should be of interest. We know what the "kooks" want. What about the ordinary people? If they want us out, we should leave at once. Let the UN hold a national vote in Saudi Arabia and make it binding on the US and on Saudi Arabia.
"economy, and cultural exports."
Comparing the ratio of the size of the US economy to that of the sum of the sizes of the countries currently in the EU, you will see that this ratio was much greater than one (say, 1960) and is less than one now; the US relative advantage has disappeared.
I believe "cultural exports" includes movies (e.g. Disney) and music; I am not proud of a lot of our "cultural exports." Go visit a city in Germany or Italy and compare the cultural experience with New York or SF. Visit Edinburgh or Pisa or Rome. Our "cultural exports" are, in some cases, rather shallow.
With respect to currancy values, trade balances, interest rates and politics do matter. When I was in Pisa in June, 2002, a Euro was worth (about) US$0.86. In July, 2003 in Germany, a Euro was worth (about) US$1.14. Right now the Euro is even stronger (US$1.30 ??).
"Since the end of the Cold War, the world has increasingly grown to hate us anyway."
This has not been my experience. I have traveled in Europe, had visitors from Sweden, Korea, Germany, Jordan, Russia, etc. I did not notice any ill-will toward individual Americans. I did notice that a lot of people (American and foreign) are very upset at the stupid things Bush is doing.
As the "leader" of the world, the US has extra responsibilities. We should not be supporting corrupt governments just because they sell us cheap oil. We chould go after terrorists but our first choice in doing this should be to obtain international cooperation. We should not support the current government in China; it is extremely corrupt. (I would be willing to pay more at Walmart to try to help the ordinary Chinese people get rid of this government.) What has the US done about Mexico? Talk about being corrupt! Judges can stop investigations for no good reason. Where does the oil money in Mexico go? Not to the people. Who makes money on illegal drugs? The police and political leaders. (Reform is coming; the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) looks like it might come back into power. The PRI was always so honest.)
At one time, the US (mostly) stood for moral principles. Then "power politics" and people like John Foster Dulles caused us to ignore the foundations on which our country was founded. (We could argue about when this began; it might be 1860, 1890, 1917, 1952 or ??)
I do have it (Quicksilver) but I have not started to read it. Is it good?
I could have mentioned many other mathematicians (e.g. Weierstrass, Hardy, Laplace, Fourier, Hilbert, (Girolamo) Cardano).
Names from physics, engineering, etc. do not come as easily to me.
My point was the ("local" or national) society had to be open to change, especially scientific change, in order for rapid progress in math, science and technology to occur. In stable societies, this willingness to allow and support change is weak or missing. The US has been coasting since 1945. We bring in the best scientific talent to work in our universities (for many good reasons, including the fact that life has (used to have) fewer hassles for professors than elsewhere (including the EU)). (Examples: How much will your ISP in the UK pay for Internet access starting in September? If you complain about utilities (e.g. incorrect bill) in Ireland, will it do any good? Have you ever tried to get good, quick service at a bank in Germany?) The US is one of those "stable societies" which does not seem to want to invest in science and technology to the same extent as elsewhere (e.g. Max Planck Society in Germany, CERN, Korea's investment in research). There was a plan to begin fixing this problem of inadequate funding for research. Then Bush came along and that money was need for tax cuts for the rich, wars around the world, etc. In my opinion, Bush is worst president since Nixon; his father was much more intelligent.
The comments below the story were interesting (and represented several different points of view). What has been your family's experience on other flights? (We want to know.)
Perhaps of greater importance is whether the vote in Florida will be "stolen" again. What can you say about this issue?
I suspect that students from India are different than workers in India. The very best students in India stay in India and go to places like IIS or IIT. However, this is such a small percentage of the workforce that you probably never run into or deal with even one of them. The "almost great" students come to the US or Europe if their parents can afford it (and most parents cannot afford it). My previous question was about the differences between workers who came from India, received a university education in the US (or EU) and remained and workers who never left India. I have a high opinion of the first group and know nothing about the second group.
(At the moment) "Score:4, Insightful" This is a joke, right? (Mod Humor?)
"I don't think we're qualified to make assumptions."
Assumptions are the things one assumes. I suspect that you do not know the difference between "assumption" and "conclusion."
Are you able to draw valid scientific conclusions?
Are the researchers able to draw valid scientific conclusions? Yes. Based on a lot more than 150 years of data, they can draw some valid conclusions. Any conclusions are certainly subject to revision in the light of new data (or in certain other cases).
"I bet 50% of the people who vote for Bush because the veterans who served with Kerry in Vietnam say that he can't be trusted to lead the country."
It is interesting that veterans for Bush cannot be trusted to tell the truth and are contradicted by the official records, their previous statements, etc. Those veterans are certainly experts on knowing who to trust.
They (Al Qaida) plan for years.
"Even though eventually there will probably be another attack, the fact that we have had so many years of domestic peace and tranquility is a testament to the success of the current policies."
I think this "tranquility" arises, in part, from the fact that they have not tried to do much in the US. I do think going into Afghanistan was the right thing to do but I wish we had put more troops there and removed the warlords. There was no good reason to go into Iraq (but i am glad Saddam is out of power and on trial).
People do not live in fear in the US; I am considering going to Jordan and Isreal within the next two years. I do not think about security (from terrorists) in the US (nor when I am in Europe). I do think about the "cost-benefit ratio" of current security procedures, however. Making worthless lists and keeping people from flying has no bebefits and many costs.
"we're content with the Democrats telling us we need their protection because we can't think for ourselves."
The Bush cheapshot team at work, earning its money. Who says Republicans are not hard workers?
I agree with your comment that people in the US are not living in fear. However, imagine that you plan to fly overseas in a few months (as I plan to do) and then imagine the impact appearing on the "no fly list" would have on your plans and your trip. (Phone call to foreign university: I cannot give my scheduled lecture because they refuse to let me fly.) While this is a very very low probability event (I hope,... but I am a Democrat), it does cross one's mind.
The real issue is whether we have the freedoms we expect and are used to having, not how we compare with the rest of the world. In this regard, our freedoms are reduced and it is not clear that we are any safer.
"Condoleeza Rice"
Rice was the provost at Stanford and she was the biggest joke around. She is not some poor minority who "made good"; she is a tool of the Hoover Institute and other right wing wacko groups. Talk to several of your favorite Stanford professors (in different departments) and see if you get a consistent picture of a fool.
"Colin Powell"
I could support Powell. I am afraid that he has no backbone, however. Rummy (Sec. of Defense) runs over Powell's position whenever he wants.
I could have supported Senator McCain until he started campaigning with Bush; he lost any support I might have had for him.
I love it when fools post. (And PLEASE take the "I'm a history professor!" route; we can discuss the honesty of history professors.)
"... we are led by a highly capable president..."
At least your sense of humor is not impared.
"... when the shooting was done is that we made sure the combat took place on enemy soil."
As I recall, the EU (in Europe, where much of the fighting took place) has a larger economy than the US. Remember Japan and Korea, where a great deal of damage was done; our trade balance with them is very sad. China? We owe China a great deal of money.
In, say, 1000 AD, China and the Islamic world were more advanced than Europe. Why did Europe develop science, mathematics, technology, etc.? Why was Gauss German and not from China or Egypt? In part, it is bacause Europe had lots of strife and other parts of the world had stable governments. (OK, this is rather simplistic but in broad outline it is correct.) There were reasons to allow people ("hackers"?) rock the boat. Newton, Leibnitz, Euler, the Bernoullis, etc. helped advance knowledge which allowed (some) nations to survive.
The United States had a temporary advantage after WW2. We have lost that in all areas except the armed forces, which are a drain on the economy. If the rest of the world said, "Pay us what you owe us.", we would be ruined. If oil was priced in Euros rather than dollars, we would be screwed (over time).
There was a plan in 2000 to strongly increase funding to the National Science Foundation (NSF). Bush has not followed through on this plan which was considered by various national science and engineering societies and supported as a good tool of economic and technological development. Bush has cost the US decades of international ill-will. Remember the war in Iraq is over; Bush announced on that aircraft carrier. The bottom line is that Bush is a foolish and inadequate President. If he is reelected, we (in the US, UK, Isreal, Egypt, Korea, etc.) are in trouble.
Anyone who loses her/his job complains, no matter the reason.
(Just wait until after November and then listen to W. complain.)
By the way, I have lots of students from India. They rarely complain; they just work hard, do well, get jobs in areospace (or other industries) and enjoy life.
(One student is almost done with his PhD in EE and has already started working on a PhD in my department (Math). He will be able to "write his own ticket". (He has already applied for a ("real" - not software) patent.)
Is it different for people who remain in India?
"Slashdot: where racism against Indians is OK..."
Of course, I noticed your sig previously; I am curious. (I know, "don't reply to sigs!") I can think of several ways to interpret it.
(i) (whine) People in the US are picking on India (since jobs are going there).
(ii) (gloat) Microsoft TCO anti-linux ads actually help Linux. Anti-India posts recognize that India is a serious player in the IT world.
(iii) (native American) Is this a tribal issue? Gambling?
(iv) (troll)
(v) (M$) Anything that makes/. look bad is good.
So, which is it?
It is too bad you know very little about science and the way it works. There is much more than 150 years of data available. Scientists really dislike being wrong and will usually wait until they have a "strong case" before making public claims or submitting papers to journals (the "cold fusion" mess proves how dumb carelessness (or stupidity) can be). The fact that you are modded "Insightful" (at least at this moment) indicates that you are not the only person who does not "get it."
"It was designed to suit a particular task and do it well."
I do not see how this product (XP) can be said to be designed to do a task well, unless that task is to make Microsoft lots of money. The security model for XP is a joke. SP2 is (reported to be) breaking applications. Your comments would be humorous if your goal did not appear to be spreading FUD against Linux.
"He wisely left that nonsense to Slashdo^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hthe zealots."
This is the fun of Slashdot; where else can you be a zealot? (My students need not answer.)
Seriously, I think Slashdot is valuable but I do not take it too seriously. It gives people a place to blow off steam and allows people from different backgrounds to "discuss" ideas. So I agree with your comment but I see this as a strength.
"Why shouldn't our subsidized universities produce software that everyone can use without further payment."
Was that (University of California at) B(erkeley) S(tandard) D(istribution)? (What is `Berkeley Software Design'?)
And what did the University of Helsinki ever produce?
"If such stuff came from Microsoft, it'd be called FUD,"
If this stuff came from Microsoft, it would be advertised throughout the US, Europe, etc. and it would be FUD.
"since it comes from Linux lovers on Slashdot, it gets modded +1 Insightful."
People who read Slashdot quickly learn to filter the comments in one way or another. The comments might not always be unbiased but are not FUD.
I was in CompUSA a few days ago and saw a (software) product one could buy which would convert postscript files (and possibly other file formats) to pdf files. I am not surprised that GPLed software is appearing on Windows machines; this is good. I presume xfig and ps2pdf on Windows are free and open source. (A question: Who owns the "name" xfig? Could MS create a nonFOSS Windows program named xfig which performs like xfig?) Your comment
"I was using the same tools on Windows XP just the other day" makes me wonder why companies are selling products like the one I saw at CompUSA if the same functionality is available for free already? Usually products which do not sell do not last very long; I suspect people are buying this conversion program. Why?
"You could just as easily ask why so many on here have Pro-Linux and Anti-Microsoft posts?"
I believe (perhaps incorrectly) that people understand that Linux is technically superior (e.g. better security, more stable). This is not to say that Linux has the same features as Windows or that Linux is better in every respect than Windows but that, overall, it is superior. Since "life" consists of special cases, this does not make Linux superior for any particular individual. A reasonable answer to your question is that people have less desire to criticize the superior product. (Of course, another might be to say that it recognizes a bias against MS held by many/. readers.)
"Maybe because he prefers Windows?"
I have no doubt that he (or she?) prefers Windows. Why is this? Perhaps s/he works for Microsoft? Perhaps Windows just works better for him/her?
"We don't converse or exchange ideas, we just spout our rhetoric until one side or the other gives up..."
This is an easy way to dismiss a serious issue. Is the only reason people prefer Windows that they have to use it and have just accepted it? Are there good points to Windows worth the security concerns and other issues (e.g. new features must wait for MS while any of us can start a Linux project to create the tool we want)? This is an opportunity for education and you settle for a trite phrase. Impressive (Quake3 voice).
Slashdot Mirror
Come on, use your real name Stef?
oreilly.com: Stef, what's it like working with a bunch of geeks who don't appreciate the importance of marketing?
Stef: Remember the last time you had a hemorrhoidal flare-up? Same experience.
IE is perfectly secure. Please log in to our bank http://robyoublind.com. We will safely store such information as your credit card numbers, ATM pin numbers, etc. We will offer you the best interest rates anywhere; just send us all your money. You can trust us.
It does not mater what "Osama" wants; he is a criminal and should be tried and executed if found guilty (of capital crimes). What the people of Saudi Arabia want should be of interest. We know what the "kooks" want. What about the ordinary people? If they want us out, we should leave at once. Let the UN hold a national vote in Saudi Arabia and make it binding on the US and on Saudi Arabia.
"economy, and cultural exports."
Comparing the ratio of the size of the US economy to that of the sum of the sizes of the countries currently in the EU, you will see that this ratio was much greater than one (say, 1960) and is less than one now; the US relative advantage has disappeared.
I believe "cultural exports" includes movies (e.g. Disney) and music; I am not proud of a lot of our "cultural exports." Go visit a city in Germany or Italy and compare the cultural experience with New York or SF. Visit Edinburgh or Pisa or Rome. Our "cultural exports" are, in some cases, rather shallow.
With respect to currancy values, trade balances, interest rates and politics do matter. When I was in Pisa in June, 2002, a Euro was worth (about) US$0.86. In July, 2003 in Germany, a Euro was worth (about) US$1.14. Right now the Euro is even stronger (US$1.30 ??).
"Since the end of the Cold War, the world has increasingly grown to hate us anyway."
This has not been my experience. I have traveled in Europe, had visitors from Sweden, Korea, Germany, Jordan, Russia, etc. I did not notice any ill-will toward individual Americans. I did notice that a lot of people (American and foreign) are very upset at the stupid things Bush is doing.
As the "leader" of the world, the US has extra responsibilities. We should not be supporting corrupt governments just because they sell us cheap oil. We chould go after terrorists but our first choice in doing this should be to obtain international cooperation. We should not support the current government in China; it is extremely corrupt. (I would be willing to pay more at Walmart to try to help the ordinary Chinese people get rid of this government.) What has the US done about Mexico? Talk about being corrupt! Judges can stop investigations for no good reason. Where does the oil money in Mexico go? Not to the people. Who makes money on illegal drugs? The police and political leaders. (Reform is coming; the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) looks like it might come back into power. The PRI was always so honest.)
At one time, the US (mostly) stood for moral principles. Then "power politics" and people like John Foster Dulles caused us to ignore the foundations on which our country was founded. (We could argue about when this began; it might be 1860, 1890, 1917, 1952 or ??)
I do have it (Quicksilver) but I have not started to read it. Is it good?
I could have mentioned many other mathematicians (e.g. Weierstrass, Hardy, Laplace, Fourier, Hilbert, (Girolamo) Cardano). Names from physics, engineering, etc. do not come as easily to me. My point was the ("local" or national) society had to be open to change, especially scientific change, in order for rapid progress in math, science and technology to occur. In stable societies, this willingness to allow and support change is weak or missing. The US has been coasting since 1945. We bring in the best scientific talent to work in our universities (for many good reasons, including the fact that life has (used to have) fewer hassles for professors than elsewhere (including the EU)). (Examples: How much will your ISP in the UK pay for Internet access starting in September? If you complain about utilities (e.g. incorrect bill) in Ireland, will it do any good? Have you ever tried to get good, quick service at a bank in Germany?) The US is one of those "stable societies" which does not seem to want to invest in science and technology to the same extent as elsewhere (e.g. Max Planck Society in Germany, CERN, Korea's investment in research). There was a plan to begin fixing this problem of inadequate funding for research. Then Bush came along and that money was need for tax cuts for the rich, wars around the world, etc. In my opinion, Bush is worst president since Nixon; his father was much more intelligent.
The comments below the story were interesting (and represented several different points of view). What has been your family's experience on other flights? (We want to know.)
Perhaps of greater importance is whether the vote in Florida will be "stolen" again. What can you say about this issue?
I suspect that students from India are different than workers in India. The very best students in India stay in India and go to places like IIS or IIT. However, this is such a small percentage of the workforce that you probably never run into or deal with even one of them. The "almost great" students come to the US or Europe if their parents can afford it (and most parents cannot afford it). My previous question was about the differences between workers who came from India, received a university education in the US (or EU) and remained and workers who never left India. I have a high opinion of the first group and know nothing about the second group.
(At the moment) "Score:4, Insightful" This is a joke, right? (Mod Humor?)
"I don't think we're qualified to make assumptions."
Assumptions are the things one assumes. I suspect that you do not know the difference between "assumption" and "conclusion."
Are you able to draw valid scientific conclusions?
Are the researchers able to draw valid scientific conclusions? Yes. Based on a lot more than 150 years of data, they can draw some valid conclusions. Any conclusions are certainly subject to revision in the light of new data (or in certain other cases).
"I bet 50% of the people who vote for Bush because the veterans who served with Kerry in Vietnam say that he can't be trusted to lead the country."
It is interesting that veterans for Bush cannot be trusted to tell the truth and are contradicted by the official records, their previous statements, etc. Those veterans are certainly experts on knowing who to trust.
They (Al Qaida) plan for years.
"Even though eventually there will probably be another attack, the fact that we have had so many years of domestic peace and tranquility is a testament to the success of the current policies."
I think this "tranquility" arises, in part, from the fact that they have not tried to do much in the US. I do think going into Afghanistan was the right thing to do but I wish we had put more troops there and removed the warlords. There was no good reason to go into Iraq (but i am glad Saddam is out of power and on trial).
People do not live in fear in the US; I am considering going to Jordan and Isreal within the next two years. I do not think about security (from terrorists) in the US (nor when I am in Europe). I do think about the "cost-benefit ratio" of current security procedures, however. Making worthless lists and keeping people from flying has no bebefits and many costs.
"we're content with the Democrats telling us we need their protection because we can't think for ourselves."
The Bush cheapshot team at work, earning its money. Who says Republicans are not hard workers?
I agree with your comment that people in the US are not living in fear. However, imagine that you plan to fly overseas in a few months (as I plan to do) and then imagine the impact appearing on the "no fly list" would have on your plans and your trip. (Phone call to foreign university: I cannot give my scheduled lecture because they refuse to let me fly.) While this is a very very low probability event (I hope, ... but I am a Democrat), it does cross one's mind.
The real issue is whether we have the freedoms we expect and are used to having, not how we compare with the rest of the world. In this regard, our freedoms are reduced and it is not clear that we are any safer.
"Condoleeza Rice"
Rice was the provost at Stanford and she was the biggest joke around. She is not some poor minority who "made good"; she is a tool of the Hoover Institute and other right wing wacko groups. Talk to several of your favorite Stanford professors (in different departments) and see if you get a consistent picture of a fool.
"Colin Powell"
I could support Powell. I am afraid that he has no backbone, however. Rummy (Sec. of Defense) runs over Powell's position whenever he wants.
I could have supported Senator McCain until he started campaigning with Bush; he lost any support I might have had for him.
I love it when fools post. (And PLEASE take the "I'm a history professor!" route; we can discuss the honesty of history professors.)
... we are led by a highly capable president ..."
"
At least your sense of humor is not impared.
"... when the shooting was done is that we made sure the combat took place on enemy soil."
As I recall, the EU (in Europe, where much of the fighting took place) has a larger economy than the US. Remember Japan and Korea, where a great deal of damage was done; our trade balance with them is very sad. China? We owe China a great deal of money.
In, say, 1000 AD, China and the Islamic world were more advanced than Europe. Why did Europe develop science, mathematics, technology, etc.? Why was Gauss German and not from China or Egypt? In part, it is bacause Europe had lots of strife and other parts of the world had stable governments. (OK, this is rather simplistic but in broad outline it is correct.) There were reasons to allow people ("hackers"?) rock the boat. Newton, Leibnitz, Euler, the Bernoullis, etc. helped advance knowledge which allowed (some) nations to survive.
The United States had a temporary advantage after WW2. We have lost that in all areas except the armed forces, which are a drain on the economy. If the rest of the world said, "Pay us what you owe us.", we would be ruined. If oil was priced in Euros rather than dollars, we would be screwed (over time).
There was a plan in 2000 to strongly increase funding to the National Science Foundation (NSF). Bush has not followed through on this plan which was considered by various national science and engineering societies and supported as a good tool of economic and technological development. Bush has cost the US decades of international ill-will. Remember the war in Iraq is over; Bush announced on that aircraft carrier. The bottom line is that Bush is a foolish and inadequate President. If he is reelected, we (in the US, UK, Isreal, Egypt, Korea, etc.) are in trouble.
Anyone who loses her/his job complains, no matter the reason.
(Just wait until after November and then listen to W. complain.)
By the way, I have lots of students from India. They rarely complain; they just work hard, do well, get jobs in areospace (or other industries) and enjoy life. (One student is almost done with his PhD in EE and has already started working on a PhD in my department (Math). He will be able to "write his own ticket". (He has already applied for a ("real" - not software) patent.) Is it different for people who remain in India?
"Slashdot: where racism against Indians is OK..." /. look bad is good.
Of course, I noticed your sig previously; I am curious. (I know, "don't reply to sigs!") I can think of several ways to interpret it.
(i) (whine) People in the US are picking on India (since jobs are going there).
(ii) (gloat) Microsoft TCO anti-linux ads actually help Linux. Anti-India posts recognize that India is a serious player in the IT world.
(iii) (native American) Is this a tribal issue? Gambling?
(iv) (troll)
(v) (M$) Anything that makes
So, which is it?
It is too bad you know very little about science and the way it works. There is much more than 150 years of data available. Scientists really dislike being wrong and will usually wait until they have a "strong case" before making public claims or submitting papers to journals (the "cold fusion" mess proves how dumb carelessness (or stupidity) can be). The fact that you are modded "Insightful" (at least at this moment) indicates that you are not the only person who does not "get it."
"It was designed to suit a particular task and do it well."
I do not see how this product (XP) can be said to be designed to do a task well, unless that task is to make Microsoft lots of money. The security model for XP is a joke. SP2 is (reported to be) breaking applications. Your comments would be humorous if your goal did not appear to be spreading FUD against Linux.
"He wisely left that nonsense to Slashdo^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hthe zealots."
This is the fun of Slashdot; where else can you be a zealot? (My students need not answer.)
Seriously, I think Slashdot is valuable but I do not take it too seriously. It gives people a place to blow off steam and allows people from different backgrounds to "discuss" ideas. So I agree with your comment but I see this as a strength.
"Why shouldn't our subsidized universities produce software that everyone can use without further payment."
Was that (University of California at) B(erkeley) S(tandard) D(istribution)? (What is `Berkeley Software Design'?)
And what did the University of Helsinki ever produce?
"If such stuff came from Microsoft, it'd be called FUD,"
If this stuff came from Microsoft, it would be advertised throughout the US, Europe, etc. and it would be FUD.
"since it comes from Linux lovers on Slashdot, it gets modded +1 Insightful."
People who read Slashdot quickly learn to filter the comments in one way or another. The comments might not always be unbiased but are not FUD.
I was in CompUSA a few days ago and saw a (software) product one could buy which would convert postscript files (and possibly other file formats) to pdf files. I am not surprised that GPLed software is appearing on Windows machines; this is good. I presume xfig and ps2pdf on Windows are free and open source. (A question: Who owns the "name" xfig? Could MS create a nonFOSS Windows program named xfig which performs like xfig?) Your comment "I was using the same tools on Windows XP just the other day" makes me wonder why companies are selling products like the one I saw at CompUSA if the same functionality is available for free already? Usually products which do not sell do not last very long; I suspect people are buying this conversion program. Why?
"You could just as easily ask why so many on here have Pro-Linux and Anti-Microsoft posts?" /. readers.)
I believe (perhaps incorrectly) that people understand that Linux is technically superior (e.g. better security, more stable). This is not to say that Linux has the same features as Windows or that Linux is better in every respect than Windows but that, overall, it is superior. Since "life" consists of special cases, this does not make Linux superior for any particular individual. A reasonable answer to your question is that people have less desire to criticize the superior product. (Of course, another might be to say that it recognizes a bias against MS held by many
"Maybe because he prefers Windows?"
I have no doubt that he (or she?) prefers Windows. Why is this? Perhaps s/he works for Microsoft? Perhaps Windows just works better for him/her?
"We don't converse or exchange ideas, we just spout our rhetoric until one side or the other gives up..."
This is an easy way to dismiss a serious issue. Is the only reason people prefer Windows that they have to use it and have just accepted it? Are there good points to Windows worth the security concerns and other issues (e.g. new features must wait for MS while any of us can start a Linux project to create the tool we want)? This is an opportunity for education and you settle for a trite phrase. Impressive (Quake3 voice).
"auto-merge the /etc files. If you make any config changes, that's a big no-no."
I could not agree more.