The Lagoon TechMy little blog in Cyberspace.

In this blog post I am going to talk about something that has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time about several people in the Linux community. I want to be clear, I am not anti-opensource (I make use of open-source software every day), nor am I anti-Linux (I am both a Windows and Linux administrator myself and really like Linux on my phone (Android).

Many times, I have read and responded to various Linux users online who have come off as arrogant and think they know everything about operating systems “just because they use Linux”.  Of course, I do not claim to know everything about operating systems myself (there are many more people who know more than I do).

This blog post is not meant to be an attack against Linux users (because, of course, not all Linux users are this way). I am just sharing one of many not-so-great experiences I have had with various people who have used Linux.

Summery of what happened:

1. A while back, I made a comment on a tech website. In a nutshell, I said “using Linux did not mean that you are completely secure from malware infesting your Linux box”. This is a valid statement. I did not bash or hate on Linux. I enjoy using Linux.
2. Someone posted a reply to my comment, saying that I had made several wrong points about Linux. He claimed that I said “Windows malware would work on Linux” and I was wrong for saying that.
3. I responded to him, telling him that his first point he said I was “wrong” about was something that I never said.
4. I responded – using the bash shell-shocker vulnerability as an example – something being open-source does not mean that it is more secure.
5. I also responded asking him to show me the points that I got “wrong”, since he didn’t give any valid points. All were just his opinions or straw-man arguments.
6. He responded back and ignored my question and the issue about putting words into my mouth. He just wanted to talk about how Linux is still secure because people “fix vulnerabilities quickly” for Linux. He basically changed the subject.
7. He also said the ShellShock vulnerability was fixed within two days.
8. I told him that the bash shell-shocker vulnerability was in fact not completely fixed in two days. It took a little bit longer.
9. Now the guy does not respond back.

The bug did not have an official fix until 24 September 2014 (the date when the fix was released to the public). The fix came out almost two weeks after the initial discovery.

Now of course I don’t hate the guy, but what he did was just another example of the problems I have encountered with the Linux community.

He started a technical discussion about a comment I made to someone else 3+ months ago, claimed I said things I didn’t say, and presented his personal opinions as verified facts. When he was confronted with evidence to the contrariety, he decided to “sneak out” and not reply anymore.

I know there are good people in the Linux community, but situations like this make me wonder. Also, other people who may be considering Linux will see various attitudes like this and be turned off by that alone. Not a good way to gain users in my opinion.