*BSD News Article 57272


Return to BSD News archive

Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mel.connect.com.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.ysu.edu!ns.mcs.kent.edu!kira.cc.uakron.edu!odin.oar.net!malgudi.oar.net!rclnews.eng.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netnews
From: Henry Cross <hcross@ix.netcom.com>
Newsgroups: alt.os.linux,comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Questions about Linux vs. FreeBSD...
Date: 19 Dec 1995 16:15:04 GMT
Organization: Netcom
Lines: 78
Message-ID: <4b6oe8$9ep@ixnews5.ix.netcom.com>
References: <4ajc07$sb7@unix2.glink.net.hk> <4aob8v$s21@park.uvsc.edu> <4aq2l9$5u9@oink.cs.utexas.edu> <4atkva$cqi@park.uvsc.edu> <30d6d193.4757713@news.apk.net>
NNTP-Posting-Host: irv-ca13-10.ix.netcom.com
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-NETCOM-Date: Tue Dec 19  8:15:04 AM PST 1995
X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.22 (Windows; U; 16bit)
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au alt.os.linux:6530 comp.os.linux.advocacy:30813 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:10770

stuart@apk.net (Stuart Krivis) wrote:
>In <4atkva$cqi@park.uvsc.edu>, Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> wrote:
>
>
>>  
>>  It is idiotic to try to compare such fluid entities for the
>>  benefit of fools who don't recognize the scope of fluidity
>>  and thus ask dumb questions like "which is better?", which
>>  can never be satisfactorily answered.  If the fools think
>>  that the question has been answered, and thus they "know which
>>  is better", well, that simply proves that they are fools.
>>  
>>  This is called "the law of the excluded middle", and results
>>  from the fact that in asking the question, you have a hidden
>>  assumption of a Platonic mean: the implied certainty in the
>>  question that one *is* in fact "provably ontologically and
>>  epistimologically better than the other".
>>  
>>  Which is a fundamental logic flaw in the questioners model
>>  of how the world actually operates.
>>  
>>  
>>  Anything that is a rallying point will be implemented by the
>>  lagging camp.  Anything that is not a rallying point will do
>>  nothing by create noise from opinion.
>>  
>>  Now do you understand why no one is seriously attempting to
>>  answer this critically stupid question?
>
>I don't think that it has to be a stupid question at all.
>
>Let's say someone knows nothing about Unix, and nothing about xBSD or
>Linux. They've been hearing about these fantastic free operating systems
>for some time now. They are really disappointed with all of the hoopla
>over Win '95, and maybe they can't afford to buy the hardware needed to
>run some of the commercial 32-bit OSes. They think it might be fun to
>work with xBSD or Linux.
>
>Now, they want to know which direction they should start out in - xBSD
>or Linux? Which is better for me, as a beginner? 
>
>Personally, I picked Linux, but it was mainly a toss of the coin. I
>certainly don't know enough about the two to debate the pros and cons of
>running each. I have wondered  myself which is "better." 
>
>To have you imply that I would be a fool for asking such a "stupid"
>question is extremely insulting. I'm glad that the majority of the net
>isn't as stuck-up as you seem to be. 
>
>Don't you think that you should just answer a question like this in a
>nice way, so as to encourage the beginner? A smarmy, patronizing
>put-down may boost your little ego, but it does nothing for the rest of
>the world. 
>
>
>-- 
>----------------------------------------------------------------
>Stuart Krivis         stuart@apk.net
>[Team OS/2]           stuart.krivis@pcohio.com
>                      bp816@cleveland.freenet.edu
>
>Message brought to you by OS/2 Warp's IAK.
>
>
>Microsoft Network, or any service owned in full or in part by Microsoft, is 
>prohibited from redistributing this work in any form, in whole or in part.  
>Copyright, Stuart G. Krivis, 1995. License to distribute this post is
>available to Microsoft for US $1,000 per instance, or equivalent local currency.
>Posting without permission constitutes an agreement to these terms.  Please send 
>notices of violation to stuart@apk.net and postmaster@microsoft.com
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------

who was that geek?
Obviously x > y where y = 95!
Duh!