Comment by BadBadJellyBean
19 days ago
I think saying "I'm a _______ guy" with any brand or company filling that blank can be a big problem. Most companies are there to make money and loyalty is often a one way street.
From my view it is more productive to find out what you like about something and always be open to maybe finding someone else who can deliver on that. And sometimes things that we thought were essential are not. You might even find something new to like.
> I think saying "I'm a _______ guy"
Most comments are interpreting this as purely tech. It's worth mentioning that this applies to basically everything: the only things that are worth gifting your loyalty to are living things: humans, pets, nature.
Offloading ongoing cognitive consideration when a situation seems to have proved itself consistent is the main idea at hand, perhaps? The notion of loyalty?
Pets are only interested in who feeds them and make them feel good, eventually offloading cognition to other tasks the same way we do; nature merely an agglomeration of entities seeking growth and propagation. We can count on these things, we can think about them, we can engage with them or let them slip past our minds, which a person might call “trust?” a lack of mental friction after that work has been done to our satisfaction.
Recognizing what may benefit us, and the short and long term dimensions of it, as well as acknowledging that we cannot know all those dimensions or control them or the future, seems the best way to go, if i may.
The idea of loyalty is naïve and dangerous, if I may use those terms without defining them also.
To be clear, it’s not cold calculation, far from it, simply acknowledging how systems tend to play out while leaving room for the unexpected. Once we recognize a pattern or system locking in that pattern in order to use our limited cognitive energies in other ways.
What about "I'm a Linux guy?" I don't pay any company for my Linux OSes. My favorites are nonprofits and mostly interchangeable.
> My favorites are [...] mostly interchangeable.
Those are the key words. You have the option to walk away from one distribution to use another if things start getting bad. Such has happened in the past, either because of distribution maintainers making decisions that certain users don't like (think Ubuntu from Unity onward) or because of distribution makers maintainers making decisions that put them ahead of the pack (think early Ubuntu). Overall, it has resulted in a competitive marketplace.
And if things got really bad, people can either fork the offending software or (if they use Linux as a more traditional Unix environment) there are various versions of BSD. If you use Linux for desktop applications, there is even the option of switching to Macintosh or Windows since open source applications tend to be multi-platform.
Being a Windows guy is a bit different. They are sticking all of their eggs in one basket. There isn't a viable Windows-like alternative to Windows if Microsoft messes up. Heck, it is growing increasingly difficult to stick with versions of Windows that are out of support. While I won't go as far as calling this brand loyalty, it means one is pretty much at the whim of the brand.
I like to think of Microsoft software (also applies to other companies) as painting a room, but starting at the doorway as it's easier. Eventually you find yourself stuck in the corner with the rest of the room painted and that's all well and good until you decide you want to leave (assuming the paint is still wet etc).
Being a "linux guy" is more like saying you're a "computer guy" at this point.
The better example is being an "Arch guy". That's the same kind of problematic as being a "Mac guy".
No. It's not your identity, it's a piece of software. "I use ____ for as long as the benefits outweigh the drawbacks" is what you should be thinking.
Using Linux as a teenager led to a step change in my family's generational wealth, some incredible personal and professional relationships, and life-defining opportunities for work and travel. I think at this point it's solidly wrapped up in my identity.
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Linux isn't a company and I wouldn't call it a brand either, in the same way that "death metal" isn't a brand. So it doesn't fit in the blank in the first place.
If a new OS comes along that's better than Linux and free, you should use it.
Much like Ethernet, this has happened several times but the replacement was also called Linux.
I'm a Linux guy, but I've always had a little bit of FreeBSD on the side.
(I'm also forced to use Windows at work)
I’m a Ryobi guy.
I'm with the Red Army, I think we have to fight.
Team Teal coming in hot. You’re both in trouble now…
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Blasphemy!
Variety is the spice of life!