Roy Schestowitz wrote:
> Be aware. The trolls in this group are conspiring against me, off-list(NG).
> * They first aimed for character assassination
This is actually a good sign. I've read many of your posts, and one
can see why you would be a target.
You provide relevant Pro-Linux information.
Your postings are articulate.
You provide at least one citation with each article.
You make a very solid case for Linux.
Google search comp.os.linux.advocacy and search for Rex Ballard.
You know you are in good company. It really shows the extraordinary
lengths that Microsoft and it's supporters will go to attempt to
discredit Linux advocates.
> * Then came the FUD - intimidation
Again, this is a popular tactic. Pick on a minor detail, making it
appear that everything you say is false or misleading by selecting what
might be less than 1/10th of 1% of your content, which may be faulty
recollection or repetition of other misinformation, and using this to
make the case that EVERYTHING you have said is a lie.
The can also take your statements out of context, then summarize them
into a very absurd bottom line scenario.
> * Failing all the above, they now say the items are spam
That's when you really know that you have been effective.
First they Ignore you
Then they laugh at you.
Then they fight you.
Then you win.
The fact that they are calling your postings "spam" - means you really
are Winning,
as is Linux.
The irony is that Linux is winning and Microsoft is not "losing".
Microsoft Windows is still preinstalled with about 98% of the machines
sold by major OEMs. Those who want to install Linux Exclusively tend
to by "White Boxes" which constitute about 30% of the total world-wide
PC market. Linux users who also want to use Windows purchase "Linux
Ready" machines, which makes up another 40% of the market (machines
that are "Linux Ready). About 30% of the market is still "Windows-Only
Linux-Hostile", but price erosion on these machines would indicate that
this is still too many. Most of these machines are being sold below
cost. This is shown in the losses suffered by Gateway for years. IBM
was losing so much money that they sold their PC division to Lenovo.
Nearly all of the machines produced by Lenovo and HP have been made
"Linux Friendly" or "Linux Ready" and can be converted to Linux
machines in less than an hour.
Dell sells all of it's "Linux Ready" machines with installation media,
which allows Linux users to reinstall the OEM licensed Windows as a
client under Xen, Bochs, or VMWare.
> Don't let the trolls ruin what the group has evolved to become.
> Please ignore their attempts to pull the tricks above, by ignoring.
The trolls keep the discussion interesting. I am particularly fond of
Drestin Black, Billwg@hotmail, and some of the other really articulate
posters. DFS has moments of brilliance, but mostly he just comes of as
a bit silly. Erik Funkenbush is also a very good WinTroll and often
provides remarkable "insider" insights into Microsoft's thinking, past
and present. Of course, he also has a "no holds barred" approach and
doesn't mind being so offensive that he actually makes the case against
Microsoft.
These gentlemen all create stimulating discussion. Without them, we'd
have the occaisional "Ain't Linux Great", along with a few follow-ups
of agreement, and then the discussion would pretty much get painfully
boring.
Guys like DFS, Erik, and Billwg provide us with the opportunity to
confront the conversations cultivated by Microsoft and carefully fed to
project managers, IT Managers, CIOs, and even some CTOs.
Thank you all for posting. We hope you never stop.
> The description of this group goes somewhere along the lines of "the
> advantages of Linux compared to other platforms" (Google Groups, quoted from
> memory). Put differently, maybe negatively: "the disadvantages of platforms
> that are not Linux". Sometimes your enemy's weaknesses can be perceived as
> your strengths.
The group is for discussions of Linux (Good and Bad), and how it
compares to other platforms (bettor or worse than Windows, Mac, QNX,
BSD,...). So long as Linux appears somewhere in the article or
posting, it's approprate to this group.
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