“And thou shall install Thunderbolt cables on thine kit”
New Zealand had a census earlier this week. It asked citizens to nominate their religion. For atheists and others who can’t tick one of the boxes there’s a choice of ‘no religion’.
That’s the box I’d choose if the census asked me about technology choices.
Others get religious about technology. Apple is obviously a cult. There are those who believe Microsoft has all the answers and then there’s the tech equivalent of Scientology: Linux. Those people with their furry penguin god can be scary at times.
Likewise there are people who hold mystical beliefs in the power of fibre to solve all of mankind’s problems.
Cast me out into the wilderness if you will, but I refuse to sign up for any techo religion. Apart from anything else, technology changes at such a pace it doesn’t make sense to nail yourself to any particular cross.
There’s a reason why people who sell technology use words like ‘guru’ and ‘evangelist’ to describe their work. I’m not sucked in.
In technology, those two job titles are just fancy ways of saying ‘sales’. And some of those sales critters are peddling snake oil.
Related articles
- Census 2013: That religion question (openparachute.wordpress.com)
- Census 2013 So What Did You Think? (luigicappel.wordpress.com)
But snake oil is good for you and it is rare in New Zealand. Enjoyed the latest NZ Tech Podcast btw:)
I wouldn’t compare Linux to Scientology. Besides, there is two parts; guys who (like me) like open source. And guys who are fanatic it-is-the-only-way. If I can, I use open source, if I can’t I’ll be okay (Unless it’s Adobe. I’ll never be okay with Adobe).
It’s a good analogy, and a lot of people have been asking why it has to be this way lately as it heats up. I thought it was quite obvious; there’s sports, countries, ethnicities… people like to side with something or be in a group. It’s our nature to say we are better than others and we do it any way we can (get away with it).
“I wouldn’t compare Linux to Scientology.”
That bit was said in semi-jest. Linux desktop users are, well, much stranger than followers of any other technology religion.
Even though we are a small group, we are quite variegated. I myself follow tech as close as I can, but I know a few people who I’ve converted and they just know how to open a browser and don’t realise that I’ve converted their computer. All they know is it doesn’t crash and runs way faster.
I wish we could be compared to Taoism or Buddhism, but there are a few fanatics who are more crusade-y than The Dude-y.