openswitch

I’ve been thinking a lot about myself lately. Not in the egotistical sense but in the introspective, “why am I like this?” sense. Why do I like Linux so much? Is it just because it’s no-cost software or does it go deeper? Well, I’ll admit that I can sometimes be pretty superficial and even though I like the fact that Linux is no-cost I think my love for Free and Open Source Software goes a little deeper than that.

FP’s

I’m an fan of Fountain Pens. I have two of them, and use ‘em both for daily writers. I like how they write. I like that I can change the nibs, I can change the ink too. I like how they bleed right through and feather on cheap paper. In short, I can change the very way the pen writes. I like that when the pen runs out of ink I don’t throw it away, I get my glass bottle of ink and refill the pen. I feel some strange, Frequency-esque connection to the past when I use a FP.

FP’s leak. If you use one you will get ink on yourself at some point. You’re also bound to spill that bottle of ink all over something. It’s inevitable. They’re fragile, you can’t drop them on their point because that point will bend. Of course, you can then just replace the nib with a new one or repair that point yourself if you’re handy like that.

Make no mistake, however, FP’s are not an efficient way to write with pen and paper. They’re finicky, but they’re romantic. Nothing can write more elegantly than a FP, and no other writing implement is as personal. However, you have to learn how to write with one; or more accurately, you have to unlearn the bad habits you’ve developed by using ballpoint pens. They’re a total departure from the “norm” of using a plastic cheapo pen that, when it runs out of ink, is thrown away. Though more often than not a cheapo pen is lost between the cushions before it ever runs out of ink.

DE’s

I use a Double Edge Safety Razor to shave. You want to talk about steep learning curve? A DE razor is decidedly not an intuitive user interface. I mutilated myself the first couple dozen times I shaved with one. But after unlearning all the old, bad habits I’d developed over the years of using disposable Bics I now actually enjoy shaving in the morning; even though it takes longer and requires more thought and skill on my part.

I go all out with shaving too. I’ve got a porcelain shaving mug, nice shaving soap, a badger brush, and some pretty good, yet inexpensive blades (I got 100 blades for $20). Up front investment was high. But over time I’ll be saving money because one razor will last (theoretically) the rest of my life.

Shaving is not easier with a DE razor, it’s harder. So why do I like it? Well, again, I feel a strange connection to the past by using it. It also feels pure to me. I know I’m doing something better for the environment as the used blades just rust away instead of sitting around in a landfill for decades. I’m also not throwing out tons of packaging, plastic, rubber and in some cases, batteries.

If I do something wrong while shaving with a DE razor I’ll immediately know it. My toddler son could shave me with a Mach 3 and I’m pretty sure he’d do just fine. But he’d undoubtedly cause me to bleed out if he used a DE razor. When I use a DE razor I have to think about what I’m doing. I have to decide what soap I want to use, what blade I want to use, I have to decide on the brush, on the shaving mug. They’re small decisions but they personalize my shaving experience, it’s now unique to me.

Linux

FP’s and DE’s really have little to do with Linux. There are few parallels (if any) between them. The only thing I can think is that 1) they’re all non-mainstream and 2) they all require the me to think about what I’m doing when being used.

Maybe I like Linux because I like doing things the hard way, even though it could be argued that Linux really isn’t that hard. Maybe I just like doing things myself. Maybe I like Linux because I can personalize my computer, even though you can do that to an extent with Windows and OSX. Maybe I like it because it feels “pure” to me. That’s probably the closer to the truth than any other reason. Linux feels un-marketed, unadulterated. The last vestige of not-selling-out-ness in a market whose only concern is how much money they can get from your pocket by locking you in.

So when it comes right down to it, I suppose my choice for Linux has roots in my feelings, in my principles. Of course, those roots then branch out into other reasons to use Linux like “it’s no-cost” and “it’s unrestrained.” But I suppose when you get right down to it, I love Linux because it feels pure, it’s free (as in speech), and it’s unique.

— note: I realize that there are politics involved in the Linux community. But by “pure” I’m talking more about “not selling out for the almighty dollar.” —