Ten IT flame wars that refuse to die down

• Tags:
• Windows,
• Linux,
• Open Source,
• Flame Wars

Jack Wallen

Published: 04 Sep 2009 15:44 BST

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Anyone who expected professional camaraderie from IT people might be surprised at the bitter and protracted disputes that have gripped the technology industry, says Jack Wallen.

If you have been involved in IT over the past few decades, you will know the flame of war has always burned strongly. Chances are, you have been caught up in at least one of these disputes. Here are what I think have been the most significant philosophical conflagrations of the recent past.

1. Linux vs Windows
No cause is more likely to send me scrambling onto my soapbox. In the mid- to late-1990s, Linux was all about world domination and it was not afraid to say so. It needed that credo because it had what seemed like an unwinnable fight on its hands.

Although many still see that fight as unwinnable, Linux has done the unthinkable by taking Windows down a peg or two — and not only because of the Apache web server. The Linux desktop has proved to the world that it knows how to create interfaces that have the edge on most of the competition. But Windows keeps the world in its stranglehold.

The hardest and most influential market to crack? The enterprise.

The battle cry for these camps? Linux: "Freedom"; Windows: "Market share".

2. Mac vs PC
This battle is as much about aesthetics as it is about a working piece of software. To Mac lovers, their machines are finely tuned, beautiful pieces of art that must not only be used, but displayed prominently on their desks or on the table at the coffee shop they frequent.

To Mac haters, the Apple machine is nothing more than an overpriced, underpowered toy that cannot match the performance of their hardware.

The battle cry for these camps? Mac: "iLove my Mac"; PC: "Half the price".

3. Cloud vs local
Anyone who reads IT-related news has run into cloud computing. To many, this is just another way of repackaging thin clients. Those who worked in IT in the early 1990s will remember thin clients well. And most of these memories are not good.

So those who remember thin clients with horror will see cloud computing in the same way. But to those managers of larger enterprises looking to save money and manage machines on a tighter rein, cloud computing can be a boon.

This battle will probably be fought between IT pros and either upper management, who think they see the power cloud computing could bring their company, or the sellers of the hardware. Cloud vs local is a 'those who do vs those who talk about doing' conflict.

The battle cry for these camps? Believers: "Single point of administration"; non-believers: "Single point of failure".

4. Gnome vs KDE
If you are involved with Linux, you know the battle between Gnome and KDE has been running for a long time. In most flame wars, you might find people who can see merit in both positions. Not in this battle.

The Gnome vs KDE clash is vicious, with no pleasantries exchanged between the two camps. Gnome users hate KDE, and KDE users hate Gnome. This battle goes beyond the interface and hostilities extend to the very toolkits used to create the widgets.

Gnome users fixate on the proprietary origins of KDE's toolkit, Qt. However, Qt is now released under the LGPL, which invalidates that objection.

Both camps also claim the language used to write the other side's desktop is inferior. Gnome uses a lot of C, while KDE uses a lot of C++. Both languages have their pros and cons.

Ultimately, it comes down to look and feel for the end-user, and that is all personal opinion.

The battle cry for these camps? Gnome: "KDE 4 looks like Windows"; KDE: "KDE 4 looks like Windows".

5. Social-networking sites vs managers
There is no denying it: social networking is huge. Everyone you meet blogs, has a Facebook page, tweets on Twitter, and is LinkedIn. That is, of course, unless you are someone who shuns modern communication tools — or you are a manager.

Social-networking sites are vast time-suckers. At the same time, they are one of the best forms of networking and advertising.

Those who hate social-networking sites see little to no value in them. Those who have friends do.

Facebook has a certain value, but does it have value in the workplace? That is one of the key issues...

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