tribe Shane Shields, a systems’ administrator writing for Toolbox.com, addressed a topic that has already preoccupied me for a while. Why do people often get so emotional in discussions about operating systems? After all, it is only software. Of course, such disputes also took place on 4sysops. The problem with discussions where emotions play an important role is that objectivity gets lost easily. Since 4sysops is a blog for IT professionals, I focus on technical matters most of the time. However, every now and then, I can’t help myself but post one of those articles which are pre-destined to evoke emotional discussions. In this post, I will explain why I do so.

But let me first discuss the question of why people often defend their favorite operating system so passionately. Shane believes, it is because we have an investment in our operating systems. Once we make a decision that we can’t revert easily, we don’t like if someone tells us that it was a stupid choice. And, of course, we get emotional if we are told to be stupid. I think, there is some truth in this analysis. However, in my opinion the main reason for such debates is another one.

We will get closer to the truth if we examine an expression that most often falls in these disputes. It is the term “fanboy”. As you can imagine, I have been accused of being a Windows or Microsoft fanboy quite often on 4sysops. This is what you should expect if you run a blog about Windows. A fanboy is “a boy who is an enthusiastic devotee”. People want to express in this way that I am emotionally tied to Microsoft. Thus my arguments are irrational, they say, and can’t be taken seriously.

But how could someone be emotionally tied to a company? It is the same reason why people become devotees. There are religious devotees, people who are proud of their country, and they are emotionally tied to their sports club. The reason for these emotional ties usually has nothing do with choices. People are accidentally born in a certain country which doesn’t prevent them from being proud of it, even though, it was not their own achievement. Most people follow the beliefs of their community, and the favorite sports club is usually of the city they live in.

Being proud of belonging to a certain group is deeply entrenched in our genes. Our forefathers lived in tribes and were in constant rivalry with other clans. Being emotionally tied to one’s tribe and its belief system was essential for the survival of our genes. And bashing rival tribes at every possible occasion was part of the game.

Tribes have disappeared in many parts of the world for several reasons. However, our tribal genes are still very active. Thus, people have to attach themselves to tribe replacements such as countries, sports clubs, gangs, brands or online communities to fulfill their needs to be a devotee, even though, this doesn’t have any significant influence on our survival anymore.

However, I think, there are differences between people with regard to the dominance of these “tribe genes”. Hence, some people become fanboys more easily than others. I believe my own tribal instinct is underdeveloped. I can’t even say that I am proud of my country, the organization to which most people have emotional ties. I don’t have a favorite sports club, I have never been in a gang, I am not interested in the alumni club of my former University, and I have no favorite political party.

Then, why do I have to write articles that are pre-destined to evoke such emotional tribe fights? I think, the reason is that I get emotional easily if people put forward irrational arguments to defend their own tribe. My latest post in this category was about the Firefox-IE debate.

I belong to the Firefox tribe because I use this browser most of the time. However, I also believe that it doesn’t make sense to use Firefox in a corporate environment for technical reasons which I outlined in various articles on 4sysops. The Mozilla guys abused the picture of the hostile Microsoft tribe in their “get Firefox” campaign and many admins have been falling into this trap. The company that explicitly targets people with this tribal weakness is Apple. It is this kind of abuse that evokes my emotions. These claims might just seem like another fanboy argument. But, then, why would I admit to using Firefox myself? I even have no problem in admitting that Apple released quite a few very cool products lately. And, why would 4sysops be running on a Linux box if I am a Windows fanboy?

Shane suggested that everyone should practice “a bit of restraint in their dealings with other people”. It would be a good New Year’s resolution, indeed. However, I have little hope that the tribal genes can be silenced so easily. Perhaps, it helps if you make yourself clear as to how your opinion is influenced by the belief systems of your favorite tribes. When it comes to technical decisions, such emotional influences should play no role. Better spare your emotions for your loved ones.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!