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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!