В 00:26 +0100 на 05.01.2014 (нд), gnuser@nospam написа: > I am saying that the mindset "it's your problem because > it's proprietary software" and "we shouldn't help you running windows only > run trisquel" is wrong when pointed towards a newcomer!
Since the quoted text looks like a copy of my message, I feel obligated to reply. Dual booting is essential from a newcomer's point of view, but that does not mean people here should help fix that in all cases. It depends on the situation, how much damage it would do and on everybody to decide can he/she help. The general rule is to not help at all with proprietary software. Excluding few who try to actively promote non-free software and justify it, even in this free software community people have different tolerance to proprietary software related problems as shades of dark as they might look to outsiders and newcomers. There are grey areas and compromises which might or might not bring another person to free software. The bad thing with compromises with proprietary software is that after a few they start adding up exponentially. This is a free software only community and distribution. Not "linux", not open source, not proprietary drivers/blobs/firmware, not "but it works for me I need it I don't care about licenses help me" etc. etc. The majority of the people here want full control on their hardware and software. Using, recommending and helping with proprietary software is not an option and will never be here. If it is someday, it means the community failed. Still everybody is free to do whatever he/she wants with his computer and on his own, including running and using proprietary software, if the user still believes he/she "needs" it. But help for proprietary software should not be expect here. The general user that does not use specialized software does not really need proprietary software. It is all habits, fear of change, awkwardness with the transition and the new environment. I've been there, believe me. There was nobody to help me, I've managed it on my own by reading manuals and tutorials. You claim the community here is not helping newcomers. The open source and so called "Linux" community was not helpful at all to me - reticule, "go read the manual newbie". On the contrary the free software and GNU(/Linux) one always was. People here are friendly and help as much as they can. If there are people here that think it is normal to help with proprietary software they are free to do it off the list/forum. No one can stop them. Doing it on the list is kind of trolling. Newcomers should be helped as much as possible, especially with information why one should use only free software, but helping at any cost with proprietary software is too much to ask. Helping users bring their proprietary software and habits into a free software distribution would solve nothing. You cannot help someone that does not want help. Freedom and free software cannot be forced to people. It must be their choice. If they are not willing to give up proprietary software this community and distribution probably is not for them and could not help them. Such users will always see the short term convenience and technical benefits (if any) in proprietary software. > When they say "I am running trisquel but I will get fired if I don't get this > > work done by tomorrow and need a piece of proprietary software to run, can > you guys help me out please??" they are flamed and take the "quit your job, > work at a factory, be free" speech. I'm here for a lot longer than you and I've never seen such drastic suggestions. Calling a flame the main idea behind a community is trolling. > Read his post man, he was a 71 year old man, who was trying to use > free software for the first time, aked for help, felt mistreated by > us (the community) and decided not to use free software again! > WE CAUSED a person to TURN AWAY from free software. … Could you stop stressing on his age? That was revealed in his last message. It should not be of such importance. Free software is for everybody. Before his last message nobody knew, neither that this was his first attempt to use free software or GNU/Linux distribution. As for the mistreatment… a newcomer could always feel mistreated in a new community, because he/she is not familiar with its ways. This thread developed on the 31st of December until 1st of January when it is known fact that most people are probably doing something else than using a computer and reading mail and forum messages. People here participate on their own time and answer when they can. Responses after a 3-4-5-6 days period are kind of normal for such list/forum. The conversation happened in a 24 hour window and after three days silence, the person decided to just give up. In fact having the time of year and the responses in mind, he actually got a lot of help. Except for my late message no one else mentioned proprietary software and refused help. Silence does not always means refusal to help. Have it occurred to you that there might be nobody that could actually help? What I've wrote I know merely by chance. I for example haven't used Windows for 11 years. Probably most people here do not have anything else except GNU/Linux on their computers. Yes it is unfortunate that he decided to gave up (too fast?), but it seems to me you are overreacting with your accusations.
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