Freshmeat: Is Linux for Crazies?

“People who support Linux are among the forefront of those who
may as well stand up and yell, “Me! Me! Consider me a wacko!” This
is not because Linux is actually nuts; it’s just that it’s still
not mainstream, and therefore we can be reasonably confident that
we could find a lot of people — millions, perhaps — who might say
we are dreamers.”

“The difference between mainstream and fringe, in any issue or
belief, is partly a matter of position: there happen to be some
people who stand over there, and there also happen to be some who
stand over here. Yet that phrasing makes the two sound equal. In
terms of mindset, however, they certainly are not equal. People in
the mainstream — and especially people who are aware of being in
the mainstream, and who find that awareness comforting — often
drop their minor issues with one another, for the sake of going
with the flow and preserving unity. People in a side eddy, by
contrast, do not have a strong, steady flow to go with, and
therefore may not be willing or able to float along wherever the
current carries them….”

“The quandary, for me, is that I cannot plead for unity in
the Linux world, because I’m not happy with what unity has wrought
within the Windows world; and yet I sympathize with the newcomer
whose first decision about Linux is, “Which Linux?” To someone
who is used to thinking in terms of “Windows, of course”, the need
to choose among different versions of an operating system is like
being asked, “And to which planet would you like your pizza
delivered?” You’ve probably got at least eight or nine choices by
now, and some are a lot more far-out than others.”

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