[ILUG] Linux today will there be a Linux tomorrow

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Conor Daly (conor.daly at oceanfree.net):

> I've tried to adopt Rick's policy on that issue.  "I don't use MS Windows
> so I can't help you there.  Anyway, isn't that the way Windows always
> works?"  or words to that effect.

I'm not quite that much a hard-liner.  ;->  (You'll notice I helped the 
guy find Windows IDSes.)  But it does surprise me how Windows users
often seemingly can't get useful information from either their own user
community or from the allegedly competent company to which they send all
that money in order that their software be "supported".

I'll often suggest a Linux alternative where I think it's feasible -- which
has the advantage, too, of not being an "enabler" in the sense Don Marti's 
essay mentions (http://zgp.org/~dmarti/linuxmanship/#enabler).  After
all, most of us participate in LUGs in order to build and maintain a
_Linux_ community, not to be a free-of-charge Microsoft helpdesk.[1]

But honestly, I usually just ignore the question and move on (unless I
can suggest a better place to ask it, or can answer some other part of
the guy's query).

[1] But, if they want to start a Windows mutual-assistance mailing list,
I'll be glad to recommend some good Linux software to run it.  ;->