One of the most common conversations when people discuss Linux is the freedom it brings. Talk of free as in beer, free as in creative expression, free as in legal widespread distribution, modification, and dissemination. These are all important and great conversations to have.
One thing that doesn't get discussed a lot though, when talking about Linux is community.
Linux gives people the opportunity to participate in a free community. Yes, I do mean free. As in, a community of users, developers, programmers and all sorts of "ers" who will interact, share information and talk about almost anything under the sun.
Linux revives the notion of a close knit, everything is familiar, kind of experience on the internet.
People from all over the world talk to each other as if they were neighbors, leaning over a common fence or hanging out in the patio just talking about computers and free and Linux in general.
Linux gives us commonalities to break the ice in almost any forum or chat room we go into. They start off talking about what distro they use and what desktop manager. their favorite media player, then movies and songs.
In almost every Linux forum anywhere on the internet, it's almost impossible not to find mixed in among the technical threads and room, spot for just chat. Even politics and religion and money comes up from time to time.
Linux is revolutionary not just in it's use of a free License or easily customized applications. It has revived the sense of being part of something. Of belonging to something you feel good about.
Isn't Linux great?
Big Bear
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The Carpenter and the Technician
I started out, many years ago as a frame carpenter.
I ventured into cabinet making and fine woodworking. I was never a "Master" carpenter or even close, but I did good work and I did my work with pride. I don't believe in cutting corners.
Carpenters are hired to make things out of wood. A staircase, a wall, a door, cabinet, etc, etc... they use tools like band saws and routers, drills and table saws, lathes and hammers.
I have met some people whose work on a band saw is phenomenal. Some guys are wizards with a router.
They have their "favorites" like some guys prefer air tools, some only hand tools will do. Most guys go for electrical power tools. There is always a debate as to which is the "better" type of tool, air, electric, hand. and you will hear some of the most outrageous lies and bragging when it comes to telling about their tools.
Not only is there that type of tool discussion, there is also the brand of tools. Makita, Craftsman, DeWalt, Porter-Cable, Campbell-Hausfield, and so on.
When the question is asked though, what makes a great carpenter, the answer is always, "What does his work look like?" Not what type of drill or table saw did he use, not was it air tools or handtools. How did it come out at the end? That's the measure of a carpenter.
What has any of this to do with computers? Linux is a tool. Windows and OSX are tools. they are not "the job". They are a means to get the job done.
Much as a carpenter must not only decide what tools will best accomplish getting the job done, he must decide on the type of wood, the the way he will make joints, A good carpenter makes all kinds of decisions based on what the job is. Not just what table saw he is going to use.
The "Work Center", where it all gets done. If it is designed well and made with good parts, it helps the carpenter do a better job. The "Work Center itself, is a tool."
Have you seen one of those multi tool systems available now. It has the table saw, the band saw, the router table and a lathe, all in one machine.
Some prefer to assemble individual tools into a work area or a trailer, same thing.
OS's are like the "Work Center". They vary on the individual tools assembled and the layout or structure of the workarea, but essentially, an OS is a "Work Center" for computers.
As a network tech or admin, am I hired to use tools or am I hired to make a network run? Will I be judged by what tools I used or will my boss decide how well I do by the availability, the functionality and the usability of the network and systems?
The OS is a tool, a very important one, to building a network or system. But it is only one of many choices that an admin must decide on.
A truly great admin will be easily identified not by what OS he uses but by his overhandling of the entire structure. His ability to use a wide variety of tools and his knowledge of which ones to use in different situations to get the whole job done.
We all love Linux. It is a great, fantastic tool that is very important in our computer world. However, it is not THE end, it is not THE goal. it is one way to gt the job done.
As a carpenter, I might brag about my preference and my ability to use hand tools. It's how I was trained and it's my preferred type of tool. I feel like I have the most control over what I am doing using hand tools. I would never think to put down another carpenter because he prefers electric tools or air tools. If I like Craftsman and he likes Stanley. well, we have our opinions , but I will judge him when I see his work.
As a network tech, I love to use Linux, it's like using hand tools for me in carpentry, I feel like I have the most control over what I am doing. If the next tech prefers Windows, well, If I am a good enough tech, I realize I often need more than one type of hammer or saw to get my job done. I had better be able to use the different types of tools available to me, because from one job to the next, I never know what tools will be hanging in the job shop when I get there. I can always take mine along and use those mostly, but here are times when I am "subcontracting" I have to use the tools at the shop they provide, and I had better be able to get my job done using the tools I have available.
No amount of "tool bashing" or criticizing another techs tools will change that I need to be ready to work with all kinds of different tools and that my job isn't just to use a tool, it's to get the work done.
Big Bear
I ventured into cabinet making and fine woodworking. I was never a "Master" carpenter or even close, but I did good work and I did my work with pride. I don't believe in cutting corners.
Carpenters are hired to make things out of wood. A staircase, a wall, a door, cabinet, etc, etc... they use tools like band saws and routers, drills and table saws, lathes and hammers.
I have met some people whose work on a band saw is phenomenal. Some guys are wizards with a router.
They have their "favorites" like some guys prefer air tools, some only hand tools will do. Most guys go for electrical power tools. There is always a debate as to which is the "better" type of tool, air, electric, hand. and you will hear some of the most outrageous lies and bragging when it comes to telling about their tools.
Not only is there that type of tool discussion, there is also the brand of tools. Makita, Craftsman, DeWalt, Porter-Cable, Campbell-Hausfield, and so on.
When the question is asked though, what makes a great carpenter, the answer is always, "What does his work look like?" Not what type of drill or table saw did he use, not was it air tools or handtools. How did it come out at the end? That's the measure of a carpenter.
What has any of this to do with computers? Linux is a tool. Windows and OSX are tools. they are not "the job". They are a means to get the job done.
Much as a carpenter must not only decide what tools will best accomplish getting the job done, he must decide on the type of wood, the the way he will make joints, A good carpenter makes all kinds of decisions based on what the job is. Not just what table saw he is going to use.
The "Work Center", where it all gets done. If it is designed well and made with good parts, it helps the carpenter do a better job. The "Work Center itself, is a tool."
Have you seen one of those multi tool systems available now. It has the table saw, the band saw, the router table and a lathe, all in one machine.
Some prefer to assemble individual tools into a work area or a trailer, same thing.
OS's are like the "Work Center". They vary on the individual tools assembled and the layout or structure of the workarea, but essentially, an OS is a "Work Center" for computers.
As a network tech or admin, am I hired to use tools or am I hired to make a network run? Will I be judged by what tools I used or will my boss decide how well I do by the availability, the functionality and the usability of the network and systems?
The OS is a tool, a very important one, to building a network or system. But it is only one of many choices that an admin must decide on.
A truly great admin will be easily identified not by what OS he uses but by his overhandling of the entire structure. His ability to use a wide variety of tools and his knowledge of which ones to use in different situations to get the whole job done.
We all love Linux. It is a great, fantastic tool that is very important in our computer world. However, it is not THE end, it is not THE goal. it is one way to gt the job done.
As a carpenter, I might brag about my preference and my ability to use hand tools. It's how I was trained and it's my preferred type of tool. I feel like I have the most control over what I am doing using hand tools. I would never think to put down another carpenter because he prefers electric tools or air tools. If I like Craftsman and he likes Stanley. well, we have our opinions , but I will judge him when I see his work.
As a network tech, I love to use Linux, it's like using hand tools for me in carpentry, I feel like I have the most control over what I am doing. If the next tech prefers Windows, well, If I am a good enough tech, I realize I often need more than one type of hammer or saw to get my job done. I had better be able to use the different types of tools available to me, because from one job to the next, I never know what tools will be hanging in the job shop when I get there. I can always take mine along and use those mostly, but here are times when I am "subcontracting" I have to use the tools at the shop they provide, and I had better be able to get my job done using the tools I have available.
No amount of "tool bashing" or criticizing another techs tools will change that I need to be ready to work with all kinds of different tools and that my job isn't just to use a tool, it's to get the work done.
Big Bear
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