The Battle For Mac vs. Linux Support
Here's an interesting tale from a user of Ubuntu Linux and the varying responses stemming from online pleas for troubleshooting assistance.
What this particular individual found he struggled with was the process of getting Flash working on his Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix build.
A seemingly remediable and unremarkable solution, right?
Don't be so sure. He was dismayed by the response garnered from both Twitter and Google when he tried to solicit help to tackle this Linux netbook situation.
To be fair, some were very helpful, or at least partially helpful, in resolving this issue, one frequently encountered by Boca Raton computer repair experts.
The rest offered the somewhat standard Linux supporter's line:
"What are you talking about? Linux is as easy as Windows."
After spending hours trying to get Flash installed - using Firefox's extensions directory, the command line, and everything else the user could find - this wasn't helpful.
Not that the typical Mac user is necessarily that much more helpful when it comes to others asking for assistance. In fact, the reply tends to be something like:
"What are you talking about? Mac OS X is even easier than Windows!"
In either case, telling the drowning woman that it's really easy to swim, or, worse, yelling at her for incompetence, really doesn't help to win people over to Linux or the Mac.
The moral of the story is that learning a new operating system is like learning a new language: talking louder doesn't improve communication.
A hint for the Mac and Linux faithful:
You won't convert Windows users by talking down to them. Focus on the positive aspects of your own operating environments and then demonstrate empathy and patience while showing n00bs how to get around on Linux or Mac OS X.
Not everyone is a Miami computer repair genius, but by dropping or at least dialing back the superiority complex that some Mac and Linux users have, we can at least increase levels of our understanding of the others' language.
Isn't it time we decided to all just get along?
