Switching to Linux, and how to scare everyone on the way in.

I wrote a few weeks ago about the fact that I was jack of windows, and I was switching to Linux (more specifically Ubuntu) now that some issues I had with video card drivers had been sorted. It's been going very well for the past few weeks, everything running smoothly, my work related stuff was fine, and the few issues that have cropped up, a few Google searches later and I'm usually on my way.

That was until I went to lodge my tax return this year. The ATO's eTax software, which allows you to lodge your annual return, is Windows and Mac only (and Mac was only picked up this year). The usual Google searches didn't help me at all, mostly directing me to threads where a few people were suggesting to write to the ATO and demand they support Linux. I usually avoid these threads, as they're not much help. I found a solution buried deep on a forum somewhere, and it worked. Given the difficulty I had in sourcing the fix, I posted it here.

The first few posts were some techincal discussion, and then the usual ATO bashing started, again, not unexpected.

But then over the course of the next few posts/pages, the 2 camps I've been specifically avoiding showed up.

Are you serious? Do you honestly expect the ATO to fork out thousands of dollars to port E-Tax for the 20 or so neckbeards who might use it on linux?

Not to mention the ongoing support effort and costs for a shoddy poorly designed operating system that even large projects, e.g. Google chrome, struggle with.

Wow. Wasn't expecting "this guy" to show up so soon.

I've had experience with what I call a FTH, or a Full Time Hater, before. In the wild, they are best ignored, lest they be fed and they turn into a full blown Troll. I believe his point was that given the small userbase of Linux, it probably isn't prudent to spend the money to develop the required software.

Then, the "other guy" showed up:

Who cares if they make e-tax for GNU/Linux, it's proprietary software, it doesn't respect your freedom so don't use it. You don't have full control over it anyway until it's source code is published and under a permissive license. Then even if the ATO doesn't want to fund it's development a fork of the software which does successfully submit applications can be run with nothing embarrassing hiding in it's source code.

Please refer to the free software definition when using the name free:
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

Ugh, the free software guy. I've come across these people in Linux forums on many occasions, and again, successfully ignored them. The one thing that intrigued me however was the link, so off I went. 

When users don't control the program, the program controls the users. The developer controls the program, and through it controls the users. This nonfree or “proprietary” program is therefore an instrument of unjust power.

Thus, “free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer”.

Proprietary software is an instrument of unjust power.

What.

The.

Actual.

Fuck.

This attitude is very VERY wrong to carry. I agree with the benefits of "free" software. Things can be modified, improved, distributed, shared etc, and all that is wonderful, and gave birth to Linux (I read the part about calling it GNU/Linux). However, carrying that attitude about non-free software will keep the plain everyday users at bay. Nobody is forced to use non-free software, but by using it, it will make your life easier. I would hate to think what my Linux experience would have been if I didn't have MP3 support, or my ATI drivers.

I could have chosed to not use those, and my Laptop would run like shit (the "free" ATI drivers aren't the best. They work, but aren't the best)

I'm sure the fights will continue, but both of the above attitudes will keep more and more users at bay....

....and keep them on Windows....