Geeks are notorious for being opinionated.
But you knew this already, right? The fact is that geeks are just plain passionate about our technology – we know what we like and will oftentimes defend our preferred device/platform/language/etc. to the bitter end.
As with anything else, this mindset can often be taken too far and the thing is that I’ve seen this happen a lot within our subculture and it’s always kind of rubbed me the wrong way…
A few examples and/or specific topics of late interest:
- Rarely do you here reasons as to why Mac really is better than PC (or vice versa) that extends beyond FUD or personal opinion.
- WordPress is the most popular blogging platform, but if you were to stumble across a truly better system, would you use it regardless of the following? Do you even know why you would prefer one over the other?
- How often do you back up their “.NET sucks” or “Ruby is the greatest programming language yet” assertions with actual reasons arguing this point?
Sure, you can chalk this stuff up to nothing more than fun but if that were the case then entire sites, forums, applications, and even companies would’ve never been built. Though it is fun (and I get into the debates as much as the next guy), the reality of the situation does have some serious roots.
That said, there are two ideas that come from all of this:
Technology as Tool
Remember that technology is tool. I’ve yet to come across a silver bullet in any of the platforms, languages, hardware, software, or whatever else that I use (and I never expect to do so, for what it’s worth). Even though it can be difficult, I try to never keep myself so closely bound to a particular piece of technology that I end up passing up on something that could help me even more.
After all, when others ask me why I prefer a given application over another, I like to have concrete reasons as to why I prefer what I do.
The Danger of a Rigid Mindset
This mindset is dangerous. When left to the confines of technology, maybe it’s not such a big deal, but outside of this single arena, employing this mentality can generate a seriously flawed ideology. Even more so, I think it’s important not to let it permeate our faith.
Typically, generalized statements about Christianity that aren’t backed by any substantial ideas rarely hold up when talking with others about it. And just as I respond when others ask me about my technology preferences, I want to respond similar with respect to my faith – concrete reasons as to why I believe what I do.
Sometimes, I think it would be easier just to ignore all the back and forth about all this but it’s hard, you know? I mean, especially when all of you are so against anything other than the iPhone ;).
Will P says
For the sake of counter points… ๐
1. Mac (OS X) is better because it was built on a Unix frame. If you argue Windows over Unix, I have nothing for you.
2. Now that WordPress has native multi-site (as soon as 3.0 is released) it will be hard to beat. Especially with the extremely large community support behind it. Drupal would be an alternative, but it is a beast in and of itself.
3. Programming languages (or scripting for that matter) all have their purpose. All of the arguments against .NET could probably be used against ObjC. Platform dependence, vendor lockin, etc etc. But let’s all be honest Paint.NET is pretty flippin cool. Especially for being free.
Cheers.
Tom says
1. Hilarious. I pretty much lived in Linux during my undergrad. Wrote enough C and assembly to last me the rest of my (and my future child’s) life.
2. Definitely, though I like that smaller packaged (like Chyrp) have their niche audience.
3. With you 100% (especially on the Paint.NET front).
Props for your reasons – wish we heard more from others ๐
oschurch says
Hey Tom,
Interesting post. It’s always fun to stomp on people’s toes a little.
In general, I agree that “Iโve yet to come across a silver bullet in any of the platforms, languages, hardware, software, or whatever else that I use”. This is one of the reasons I don’t mind using open source software. No matter what you pay for, no app really does everything you want it to do. Everything has it’s warts. However, if you learn the basics and learn them well you can do almost anything. Most open source apps cover the basics first and cover them well if they are a mature project.
Of course, I also resemble this post a fair bit as I’m fairly rigid about my support for open source culture. Of course, I try to have concrete reasons for using all open source all the time and the Open Source Church blog is meant to continue to expound on what I believe is a more moral, more Christian and generally superior development methodology. Check it out if you’re interested.
Kevin
http://opensourcechurch.com
Tom says
Hey Kevin,
“No matter what you pay for, no app really does everything you want it to do … if you learn the basics and learn them well you can do almost anything.” This is why I think it’s easy to fall into the mindset that a given technology may be better than others. Simply because you’ve become skilled in an area doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better, you’re just that good.
To be clear, this isn’t to say that all applications are equal (because they aren’t) and that the reason certain products are better than others is because the skill level of the user (because that’s not true, either). I’m just saying it’s easy to trip into that mindset.
Anyway, I’ve checked out your site before and browse it when I have time. I used a ton of open-source stuff during undergrad so I’m totally into the culture and the environment. It’s just not my weapon of choice.
Not right now, at least ;).
jared folkins says
Tom,
This may sound strange, but the skillet that I use more than any other in my technical career is the 3 years of sales experience I had. Hands down, it does more for me than anything else and allows me to shine light-years beyond my peers. Instead of taking a staunch approach about any one topic, I realize that the person before me is my “customer” and I am in a service based industry.
Several of my friends who just graduated with their computer science degree cannot find work. So a couple have taken retail sales jobs. They seem bummed out but I always say
“Dude, this experience is going to help you so much. Don’t waste it.”
Anyway, just my thoughts.
Tom says
I don’t think it sounds strange. It’s smart.
Granted, if I wanted to build software for a living and ended up selling [whatever retail-ware], I’d probably be discouraged but there’s always something you can take with you from another field.
One summer during college, I worked for a county organization in where I spent the summer writing projections for population growth under various conditions. It was interesting, not my first choice for a job, but ended up – as you said – getting some experience.
Even now, it’s not unusual for a teammate and I to go and sit with people that are closer to the problem domain for which we’re building the application in order to see how they do things. No, this isn’t the same thing as working in that field but it’s definitely closer than, say, reading a generic document and coding up the solution.
But that’s a whole other digression I’m not getting into ;).
B. Rankin says
I agree with you… technology is a tool. A lot of times opinion is based on familiarity. I actually use a PC, ExpressionEngine and legal pad. Fire away… ๐
I would like to have a Mac, would use WordPress and would have fun with an iPad but I am just as productive with what I have due to familiarity. There are always pros and cons to any technology. However, it seems more often than not, for better or for worse, in our world it is more about end product that process. If you make a horribly designed UI that is built on a WordPress frame does it really matter if you designed it on a Mac and integrated it with an Open Source blogging engine?
I am sure that it does… ๐
Later.