@shawnp0wers is my celebrity interview (every series has got to have one), and as a professional writer he will turn my interview questions into a work of art.
How long have you used Linux/BSD?
Hmm… I guess since around 1993. I was in college at Michigan Tech, and the labs were running BSD. I moved to Linux a couple years later.
Why did you switch?
I switched from BSD because Linux was the “new cool thing”, but if you mean why I switched from Windows, well, getting Windows 3.1 onto the Internet was painful. Linux wasn’t really functional enough at that point for a full time desktop, but at work (a college) I used Linux/Unix, and at home I hated Windows 3.1.
After a few years, Linux because the obvious choice for me, because it was free, and because due to my sysadmin job I already understood how it worked.
What is your Distro of choice and why?
I really like Ubuntu. I think people unfairly treat it as the “n00b” distro. Ubuntu is amazingly well done, totally free, and has a huge support base. I’ve been a Debian fan for a long time, so Ubuntu was a natural progression for me.
Oddly, a lot of my servers currently run Red Hat. Ubuntu didn’t focus too much on the server space until recently, and I was leery to put the Ubuntu desktop distro on my servers. Now that Ubuntu has specifically targeted servers as well, I’m moving many of my Red Hat (actually CentOS) installs over.
Whats is the best Distro for a new user?
I’ll say Ubuntu, but probably not for the reason most people think. There are other distributions that get things more functional “out of the box” (Mint, Mandriva, etc) — but Ubuntu has such a huge support base, it’s easy for new users to find answers and help. Really, Linux is great no matter what distro you use, so for me, a recommendation for a new person comes down to the support and community available. Ubuntu leads the pack in that area.
What your biggest pet peeve of the Linux ecosystem (i.e. distros, people, website, etc.)
Smugness. I really grow weary of Linux users that treat Windows/Mac users as second class citizens. Just because Linux users are treated poorly by vendors does not mean Windows users are evil. If you want to get mad at Microsoft, fine. Don’t get mad at Microsoft users though — they’re just people.
I am a little frustrated with the wide variety of distributions available. It makes it hard to push Linux as a general thing, because the different distros are so drastically different. Even KDE/Gnome is very different, so it’s hard to define what Linux “is”. Since the diversity is also one of the things that makes Linux great, I’m torn as to what the right answers is.
Are you CLI, GUI or a little of both?
I’m a fan of using the right tool for the right job, as long as you know how to use it. For me, I use a lot of CLI. However, some things are just easier for me to do with a GUI. For example, if you’re tweaking Compiz settings, it’s MUCH nicer to use a GUI tool to do it. If you’re updating GRUB settings, a CLI seems to me to be simpler.
What do you think is lacking the most in Linux?
Vendor support, and a consistent GUI. I’ve ranted about this elsewhere, but even outside of the KDE/Gnome wars, we have companies like ASUS that install a weird GUI interface to their netbooks. Again, it’s “Linux”, but completely different for the end user than any other flavor of Linux. Add to that incompatible hardware, and it gets ugly quick.
Why do you think Hardware manufacturers don’t support Linux better albeit with closed source drivers?
Well, in all fairness, it is getting better than it used to be. I think for hardware manufacturers, there is little motivation to produce closed source drivers for Linux, and due to paranoia with competition, they’re afraid to open up hardware specs for the open source world to make drivers on their own. Unfortunately, I think the tech-stupid business people make a lot of decisions that affect us in the end. The Intel GMA500 chipset is a prime example of that. From a business sense, it probably made sense to hire out the creation of the chipset — but from an end user standpoint, a company that used to be very Linux friendly created an entire generation of netbooks that don’t work under Linux. It’s insane.
How do you feel about the Windows vs. Linux bashing? from Window view and from Linux view
This is one of the topics I often cover when I do public speaking on Linux. If you’re going to bash Windows, be sure to bash Windows and not Windows *users*. We know (as Linux users) we have a great product, but having a great product alone doesn’t make the full experience. Is it the Linux community’s fault that most games don’t run under Linux? No, of course not, but it certainly makes Linux the wrong tool for someone interested in building a gaming machine! Again, like I said before, I’m a big proponent of using the right tool for the right job. I think Linux should be used extensively in schools. I think most businesses could benefit from using Linux (where it works for their needs). I also think forcing people to use Linux is a scary endeavor, unless their needs really will be met by using our favorite OS.
In fact, I really don’t want to see 100% Linux usage. Ideally, the operating system people use shouldn’t matter. If we teach people the concept behind computing, they should ideally be able to use any computer. Once no one cares about what operating system they’re using, Linux will be the obvious choice.
Fill in the blank “Linux is _______”
Linux is opportunity. Linux levels the playing field, and gives users a platform to learn “computing”, not how to use a specific operating system. Linux gives us the opportunity to look past what a computer is running, and lets us focus on what users can accomplish with computers. I think Linux is the operating system that will make operating systems no longer matter.
Give us a small bio:
Shawn Powers is Associate Editor for Linux Journal, a Technology Director for a K12 school in Michigan, and an all around nice guy. He has an unhealthy love for coffee, Star Trek, and vintage video games. You can find him online at www.linuxjournal.com, or his website www.brainofshawn.com. If you’re a Twitter person, he’s there too, twitter.com/shawnp0wers (the “0″ is a zero).
And of course add Shawn’s blog to your RSS Feed and go pick up a copy of Linux Journal, its teh awesome. I would like to thank Shawn for the interview, and as always drop a comment below. Thanks!
-Jacob