I’m tired of the judgment and self-righteousness I see in the open source community. I’m tired of seeing it inside my company. The in-your-face, public shaming techniques to get others to change their behavior don’t work. Have the recent or previous public attacks on Canonical really changed their approach or caused them to do any real soul searching? If you were attacked the same way would you?
I grew up around religious circles that prided themselves in degrees of religious purity. They measured (judged and looked down on) others based on their own self-defined behavior codes. In some open source circles we have the behavior code of “the best and most right and pure way to do open source software.” It gets taken a step further which is, “there is only one right and pure way to do software and if you are a believer in the right and pure way to do software there are no justifiable reasons for behavior that might contradict those beliefs.”
Perhaps there really is a “best way” to do software development, but telling me there is no excuse for buying an iPhone if I’m a fan of open source really rubs me the wrong way. It doesn’t encourage me to want to see things differently. If you know what kind of cell phone I have, you know I don’t have a horse in this race. People claiming to have the answers for everyone rarely do.
Yes, I’m a fan of open source. Yes, I wrote this post on a Mac. Yes, there are more than two colors in the rainbow.
One of the key aims of the Fedora Project is creating and and shipping a Linux distribution using only free and open source software. This is a value that Fedora has stated as important to itself. It makes me cringe when I hear people in Fedora lament that other projects are “doing it wrong” or “not as free as we are.” Maybe they aren’t. Maybe that is not one of their stated goals or highest values. Maybe there are other reasons that aren’t widely known. There may be long term benefits from the approach Fedora has taken, but I don’t see what is accomplished by saying everyone has to approach open source software Fedora’s way.
I’ve had similar experiences with people passionate about global warming, sustainability, eating local, and organic food. People with an attitude of “you’re doing it wrong because you do not shop or live like us” do not make me want to embrace their ideas or thoughtfully consider them. It pushes me away. I’ll embrace and believe something because it has become true for me not because I’ve been shamed or judged into thinking it is something I must do. I really like the way Donald Miller pushes this idea further in his article I’d Rather Be Hated than Loved with Conditions.
My views on sustainability and food are shifting. Partly as a result of spending lots of time with new friends where acceptance doesn’t feel conditional. They are a great source of information on these topics and explain their views well, but that is where it ends. They don’t try to coerce me into thinking or believing their way and there’s no subtle undertone of pity or arrogance when I don’t. This freedom (one of Fedora’s core values too) to make up my own mind is refreshing. It also increases the possibility that I might embraces their position.
I think Donald Miller is onto something when he talks about loving other people, particularly in the way he describes Jesus doing so. I know it sounds weird in the context of open source software development–some of you probably think I’ve already lost my marbles–to say we should “love each other,” and yet I think it could have more lasting benefits for everyone. Isn’t that one of the tenants of open source software–to benefit everyone?
August 11, 2010 at 4:35 pm
You seem to be setting up a bit of a straw man in the initial post. None of the stuff that’s been controversial lately has been about how free Ubuntu is. It’s been a discussion about contribution to important open source projects, which isn’t the same thing as ‘degrees of freedom’ at all.
No-one has said Canonical should make ‘equal contributions’, which you mention in a comment, either. It would clearly be unrealistic to expect a company the size of Canonical to bear as much weight as a company the size of Red Hat. It’s simply been about making *more* contributions.
This isn’t some kind of theoretical point-scoring debate, either. There’s been a really significant shift in the Linux desktop landscape, which perhaps RHers have been a little isolated from. Think back to, oh, 2002 or so (maybe a bit earlier, before the end of RHL). There was a group of major commercial Linux desktop vendors – Red Hat, Mandrake, SUSE – a vibrant second tier of commercial distros, and (I’m a little vague on the exact dates now, but still) independent commercial outfits important to the F/OSS desktop, like Ximian. There were significant contributions from Sun.
What is there now? Mandriva is virtually bankrupt and losing significant engineering staff daily. SUSE got bought by Novell, which clearly has much more of an enterprise focus and barely cares about the consumer desktop. Red Hat left the consumer desktop *market*, and our relationship to the consumer desktop in general is uncertain. We’re not entirely clear on what we want Fedora to be. The consumer desktop certainly doesn’t make Red Hat any money, so you can argue that it’s clearly not as vital to Red Hat’s interests as it is to Canonical’s. In practice, we still make significant contributions to the F/OSS desktop, but you could make a convincing argument that it’s not entirely clear *why* we do so, and that a world in which Red Hat stopped doing so and got along just fine would be perfectly conceivable. (Ditto Novell). Sun got bought by Oracle, which clearly doesn’t give a shit.
So, who is there with genuine engineering resources, who’s committed both by policy and necessity, to the F/OSS desktop? Canonical. And…well, hmm. That’d be about it. As I said, this isn’t some theoretical point scoring exercise, it’s a fundamentally significant point of concern for the F/OSS desktop: the potential sources of significant paid engineering support for F/OSS desktop development have thinned significantly, in no small part due to the influence of Canonical, and it’s therefore quite dangerous for the future prospects of the F/OSS desktop if Canonical doesn’t contribute to its development. If Canonical doesn’t, F/OSS desktop development is basically relying on volunteers and on the goodwill and very arguable long-term interests of two companies whose main focus is *not* on the consumer desktop – Red Hat and Novell.
August 11, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Your comment about open source defining you as a person is interesting. Would you say you find your identity in it too?
I’m not sure I can separate them. It’s possible I was drawn to open source because it fit with my personality, not the other way around (I suspect that’s partially true), but I cannot deny it has had profound changes on the way I think and act.
When I was young, I saw these people doing amazing thing, things I wanted to do someday, and they gave them away. It blew my mind that this was all happening, it’s supposed to be about the money, right? Back then using Red Hat Linux or Slackware was a part time job, but it was something I liked to do, something I wanted to do for the rest of my days. I learned a great deal, and always did what I could to give back (which was never much I assure you).
Do I find my identity in open source? Probably. I shall have to dwell on that a bit. Even if I decide I don’t though, there is no way to deny it’s had a profound affect on my life. I bet the farm on open source a long time ago. I don’t think I could get a job doing anything else anymore, my skillset is probably 98% open source. It’s not just my job, it’s something I believe in. Not many people can say that.
I don’t do this for the pay, I’m just lucky something I believe in is also something I can do to make a living.
August 11, 2010 at 10:57 am
While I wanted to gripe at you for using a Mac, I realized there are a few things that I still use a Mac for myself… primarily video editing. I certainly wish that wasn’t the case and I’m sure some will tell me about programX and programY on Linux. I’ve tried them all. I have not completely given up on the Linux apps and I realize many of those apps are constantly improving… and maybe in another 6 months.
I look forward to the day I can use Linux for everything… and I think that is going to happen.
I originally started using Mac OS X in 2001 on an iBook G3… and I have access to newer Macs at work. For me there was a 100 day newly-wed type experience… but after that was over I saw all of the Mac OS X flaws and warts… and started using it less and less.
Regarding complaining about Ubuntu… it has to be done. Everything needs complaints so it can improve… and Fedora gets its fair share of them too. Ok, Ubuntu has different goals but that doesn’t mean we can’t point out areas where they need improvement. If some of their leadership doesn’t want to listen… and criticism just emboldens them more… others within their ranks hear the knocking.
August 11, 2010 at 11:41 am
Hi Scott,
All of my open source activities (including my job) are done on Linux. I use my (recently purchased) Mac for other things. I also listen to a ton of podcasts and got really tired of all the manual gymnastics (tried different programs, etc.) to make everything sync, delete, etc. on Linux. There were other factors too. Maybe I’ll put those in a separate post.
August 11, 2010 at 9:42 am
Characterizing criticism as attacks and every critic as a zealot, fanatic or fundamentalist… These are the signs of immaturity. It’s unfortunately also very common among open source communities.
They see everyone that doesn’t agree with them as enemy, groups as conspiracies, and before you know it, they are working alone, in isolation.
Yes, I’m describing Canonical!
So who is the fanatic, crazy one now?
There’s a lot of prejudice in here about certain people and groups that curiously never get mention by name. And the eagerness by which some are willing to distort what those people say so as to present themselves as moderate and more credible. It’s just a pity that they just show themselves as hypocrites.
So you hate them because they have values, and discredit them because they follow their values to the letter.
It comes down to this: either their principles are worthless and you rebut them logically or you don’t. You choose not to…
August 16, 2010 at 3:29 pm
This is an interesting interpretation of my motives and heart. Hate was definitely not an intended part of them. I’d be curious to know what sections you’re drawing that strong conclusion from.
I don’t agree with the requirement to label other people’s principles as worthless or rebut them logically here in my blog. A lot of principles have good and bad sides to them, though some are certainly more one-sided than others.
August 11, 2010 at 7:04 am
Very well written. I also switched over to Linux, primarily for similar reasons to CommonOddity. I have been very happy with the project and it suits my needs.
August 11, 2010 at 5:13 am
John,
You made a nice post (on a personal I only disagree with one thing, bringing religion into the topic, because any religion is based on a ‘submission doctrine’, at least from my point of view, I don’t believe free software is based on submission).
Away from that it’s important to understand that Canonical is doing great things in the field of ‘notoriety’, where it actually is bringing GNU/Linux far more visibility than anyone else before, same for GNOME.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, in a way they are very enlightening and easy to understand.
Peace.
August 11, 2010 at 7:00 am
Thanks for your comment nmarques.
I’m not sure I see the connection you’re referring to about religion, submission, and free software.
August 11, 2010 at 1:33 am
From Luis Villa’s interesting post on Eugene Bestor’s ‘Backwoods Utopias’:
August 10, 2010 at 2:04 pm
I just recently switched from Ubuntu to Fedora 13. Part of the reason was Greg’s article. Another reason that the Ubuntu Design Team was using Photoshop etc instead of Gimp Inkscape etc… I saw the Fedora Design Team was using Inkscape etc… A lady on the Fedora Design Team in her blog even took the time to tell me how to download Fedora. Adding insult to injury to me was when a friend sent me a post from omgubuntu. The post at one point mentioned people not liked Ubuntu Design Team using Photoshop and called them something. I would think the Ubuntu Design team would be promoting open instead of closed software.
If somebody wanted to use Photoshop or whatever I have no problem with it but in that case I felt it was wrong.
I don’t have a cell phone. I don’t have a regular phone either. My friends reach me online. I did have an Ipod Touch. I’ll prob get a new one.
August 10, 2010 at 12:17 pm
I just don’t get the mentallity of people who claim to be advocates of open source and free software and then go and burden themselves with iThis, iThat and Mac the other thing…
There’s certainly irony in there.
If we won’t eat our own dog food, who will?
August 11, 2010 at 6:50 am
Thanks for your comment Andrew.
I can’t speak for others, but in my case I do “eat my own dog food.” For me it is a “both and” situation. Not “either or.” I think there are many advocates of open source and free software that do the same thing.
I have multiple computers that run Linux that I use for my work at Red Hat and Fedora. I have Apple products that I find more useful for other things.
August 10, 2010 at 11:02 am
I don’t think I totally agree with this. There is a lot of truth in keeping the zealots away from normal people, they can drive them off, but in the same breath, you have to remember that these are also the people who got us here. They didn’t care about “good enough” or what “works”, they pushed ahead and built the empire we get to live in now. If they want to criticize or complain, they’ve earned that right. You do have the freedom to ignore it though.
A good example is my wife used to grumble that I wouldn’t let her have a windows computer. After explaining that Microsoft wants me unemployed, she agreed perhaps it’s OK to run Fedora. The same holds true with things like iPhones and Macs. You can only do what Apple tells you is OK. They are a very closed company that actively fights against openness.
These aren’t behavior codes, there’s no “right way” here. We’re talking about people. Open source has helped define me as a person, it’s who I am. I don’t try to pass judgment, I try to lead by example. This is however a lot easier to do when I get to stand on the shoulders of giants instead of being squashed by their boots.
August 11, 2010 at 6:42 am
Thanks for your thoughts Josh. I had more in mind the notion of one distribution or project proclaiming its superiority and looking down others for not doing things the same way or making equal contributions based on their own definition of what that is.
I didn’t have in mind the early pioneers of open source. You are right. We would not be where we are today without them, though I wonder how well the techniques that got things this far will work for tomorrow, echoed well, I thought in Joe Brockmeier’s article The Party of GNO.
Your comment about open source defining you as a person is interesting. Would you say you find your identity in it too?
August 10, 2010 at 10:20 am
I agree with you to some point, but you make Canonical attacks sound more harsh that they are. A flame can’t change Canonical’s mind, but talking about things I’m sure it helps.
Of course there are different ways of doing the same thing (I’m a Perl programmer and I love it), but that doesn’t mean that there are things that can be reasonably classified as “wrong”, and you can’t shield your position just saying “anything goes”.
I really think that Greg’s post had more interest than a simple attack, and it’s unfortunate that most people didn’t saw it (Adam got it right in: http://www.happyassassin.net/2010/08/05/finishing-up-controversial-crap-week-what-canonical-ought-to-do/).
August 10, 2010 at 9:59 am
Well said and well written. You’re right.
Most of the time people get pushed away from OSS/Linux because of the argor that propels heated judgements on users of alternative OS’. I switched over to Linux but on my own, from personal curiosity and astonishment.
Were someone try and scarf it down my throat, it would immediately become less palatable.
August 10, 2010 at 9:05 am
I agree myself Im an Arch Linux user for many years. They have a different goal as compared to Fedora. I see the strengths in both projects. So thats why i enjoy to use both. I been with with this project since FC4. Just my 2 cents.