Monday, May 15th, 2006, 4:05 am
The ‘FUD Effect’
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was involved a rather mind-boggling discussion last night. In a very particular newsgroup, we had a powwow about the issue of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) tactics and how they are used to vandalise GNU/Linux adoption. In essence, it was realised that FUD creates zealots and leads to broad apathy. People are deterred by the very thought of using Linux. Yes, indeed they still believe that “it’s all command-line” or “it’s only for servers”. Moreover, some people are led to hate Linux due to stereotypes that are being spread constantly.
“FUD makes bigots”, one guy said. How correct was he, by all means. Such zeal and disgust makes difficult not only to persuade others to migrate. It also deters manufacturers of software from making it available for Linux. The general perception of Linux is dysphoric among those who do not understand it and behave merely like cattle, propagating the same myths onto others.
So when will Linux become a platform of the majority? Clearly, once more people experiment with it and, over time, judge it for themselves (rather than rely on hearsay), this shall start a domino effect.
May 15th, 2006 at 11:48 am
Isn’t FUD an acronym for Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt as well?
May 16th, 2006 at 5:08 am
Yes, of course. Just never let it become food for thought (pun). *smile*
May 21st, 2006 at 10:26 am
Actually I said “FUD creates bigots” … but it’s close enough.
Hey … I got blogged