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The Age Interviews Linux Advocate Rick Moen 160

Posted by CowboyNeal from the stories-from-the-trenches dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The Age interviews Rick Moen, a software generalist from the Linux community and an advocate for Open Source software." Rick's been a real catalyst for the Linux community over the years, helping organize the LINC Expo, Windows Refund Day, Linux birthday parties, and more. An entertaining read.
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The Age Interviews Linux Advocate Rick Moen More

The Age Interviews Linux Advocate Rick Moen

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  • Another campaign (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Perhaps he could assist us in a "Linux on the Commodore" campaign. I know Junis would really appreciate the Divx ;-) and xviD codecs on his commodore so he wouldn't have to download the Baywatch VCDs every week.

    He is mesmerized by open source.

  • "Linux Advocate" (Score:2, Insightful)

    by marcushnk ( 90744 )
    Is that all it takes to raise yourself to stardom these days?
    • I have a friend who knows someone whos uncle's step-son once saw linux and said he liked it. Might submit that story to slashdot.
      • My point exactly..

        I don't understand why a "paper" like The Age would interview a guy like this.. and then for /. to post it.. /. seems to be losing its edge these days.. its sad.. I've been a reader for a long long time...

        • Same question I asked, actually (Score:4, Interesting)

          by rickmoen ( 1322 ) <rick@linuxmafia.com> on Thursday December 26, 2002 @11:40PM (#4964486) Homepage
          Well, I'm not sure I understand, either. Sam Varghese is a really good reporter, and I always enjoy talking to him, but I wasn't really clear on why he wanted to interview me. (And the term "Linux advocate" was Sam's, not mine, by the way.) 'Hope you enjoyed reading it, anyway.

          Rick Moen
          rick@linuxmafia.com

          • Just to be clear on this..
            I wasn't having a go at you personally.. you seem to have your head screwed on and a pretty capable bloke... but it just seems that /. has lost its focus of late.. and it seemed like a pointless article..

            meh.. maybe I'm just grumpy cause I hate this time of the year.. :-P

          • Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I certainly enjoyed it. Especially the part about only raising top quality rabble.

          • Well, I'm not sure I understand, either.


            You are being too modest. The reason why Linux became so popular was not because of some lawsuit, or the Linux Technical Elite producing superior software. It was openness---everbody was welcome---and grassroots support that gave Linux momentum and made it such a success.

            You are one of the grassroots hero's that made it happen. Be proud and don't let these Slashdot elite wannabees tell you otherwise.

    • Stardom?

      He has a one page article about linux and his involvement in some lame Australian online journal. It's not like someone saw "Linux Advocate" and gave him an 8 page in-depth interview and photo-spread in Time or the WSJ.

      • Some lame Australian online journal?



        The Age [theage.com.au] is a creditable Melbourne newspaper. Not just an online journal. That's not to say that everything they publish is brilliant. Neither do I think Rick Moen is anything special, although he does post regularly to our local LUG (Linux Users of Victoria [luv.asn.au]) so it's not surprising that a local journalist (who's also a member of the LUG) decided to interview him.

  • Just out of curiosity, what does a software generalist do?

    I know I can probably look this up on google, but I figure this is as good a place as any to have this question answered.

    • Re:A software generalist? (Score:3, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Just get a few paragraphs in to the article and you'd get this:

      Rick calls himself "a software generalist" in the Linux community, who answers technical questions on-line, concerning all aspects of Linux. He does this on the mailing lists of various Linux user groups (without respect to geographical boundaries - he is very active on the Linux Users of Victoria list), on Usenet newsgroups, and as a member of the answer gang of the monthly e-magazine Linux Gazette.
      So basically.... um.... he answers email and posts on message boards. A lot like a customer service rep, only with Linux.
    • I bitch on #debian a lot, does that make me a software generalist?
    • A software generalist is a programmer who writes a lot of different kinds of software (i.e. is the opposite of a specialist).
      Rick calls himself "a software generalist" in the Linux community, who answers technical questions on-line, concerning all aspects of Linux. He does this on the mailing lists of various Linux user groups (without respect to geographical boundaries - he is very active on the Linux Users of Victoria list), on Usenet newsgroups, and as a member of the answer gang of the monthly e-magazine Linux Gazette.

      A journalist, on the other hand, is someone who takes straightforward, uninnovative phrases and puts them in quotes, followed by an appositive with misleading context clues.
  • He was in a "HomeBrew Computer Club". I'd love to have a similar thing at my school, but I just don't have time with the principal blackmailing me and all those useless classes like "English" that I'm stuck with next semester. That and in TN so many of my classmates are stupid that we only have one person of any intelligent interest. I hereby declare my server [dnsart.com] the new stomping grounds for the Jeffferson County High School Computer Club of Tennessee.

    Oh well; guess I won't get an interview for a while.
  • Please add to it as needed:

    1) Mention the words "open source."

    2) Mention the words "linux advocate."

    3) Mention the word "micro$oft". Note that spelling (but not necessarily capitalization) will count in this, and only this, case.

    4) Mention Linus' full name. The first name alone may not get your article accepted.

    5) Mention how you only boot to Windows when you NEED to. Usually mentioning it in the context of a video game (like Diablo) helps. Mentioning that you buy games from Loki whenever it's possible will help you big time.

    6) Use the word "anime."

    7) Do not use the phrase "in soviet russia."

    8) Do not use the words "Junis" or "Jon Katz."

    9) Drop the name of a lesser known Linux distro.

    10) Use the phrase "software generalist" or any other newly invented buzzword.
  • maybe people are actually starting to RTFA.

    To save my karma:This guy reminds me of John Gage; excellent "Titans of Tech" biography on TechTV.

  • Rick, come back to the light! (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Rick used to be a BSD guy. Rick, come back to the light! We need to rescue you from the dark side of the source. linux is NIH to the nth degree and is setting back the progress of computer science. BSD forever!

  • I've got to say... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by AlfaGiik ( 636208 ) on Friday December 27, 2002 @12:54AM (#4964681) Homepage
    I've seen many more people more deserving of a major interview.

    But having said that, I must say that I agree with him on a number of major points.

    1. Linux is NOT for everyone. In my line of work, many people complain if you move their taskbar, nevermind changing their OS.

    2. BUY LINUX. only support for the companies that create your distributions will keep them creating those distributions. (I have bought every version of RedHat since 6 and a couple of copies of SuSE, etc)

    3. Linux is not the next wave of the desktop... yet. In the server field, Linux has most things tied up. Stability... Rock Solid. Usability for the uninitiated desktop user... Still sucks, sorry.

    Just my 2cents. -jk

    • 2. BUY LINUX. only support for the companies that create your distributions will keep them creating those distributions. (I have bought every version of RedHat since 6 and a couple of copies of SuSE, etc)

      Just a slight variation on this. I prefer to buy merchandise from the distribution I like. They still get my financial support, and instead of a box of old CDs I don't need any more, I have a mousepad, t-shirts, case plate, stuffed penguin, etc with the Slackware logo. That also has the advantage of giving them free advertising.

      In case anyone from slackware reads this: Your store site needs work...and sell some coffee mugs!

      Jason
      • That's a fantastic idea...

        If you want all the companies that sell Linux distros to give up and start selling t-shirts and coffee mugs.

        You're a fucking idiot.

        • What's wrong with them branching out? It's not as if selling CDs of their own distribution is challenging at all, and for most of us they are pretty much useless since it is already easier in most cases for us to install them over the network.

          If all of a distribution's engineers are busy writing their names on teddy bears instead of doing release engineering then I agree that's bad. But there is no reason why they couldn't hire extra people to do that stuff and still make a small profit.

          When did open source start taking itself so seriously..

        • You're missing the point of free software. The business model is not:

          1> create a product people will like
          2> give it away for free
          3> if people like it, maybe 1% will be kind enough to pay for it if we're lucky
          4> profit??

          This sort of thinking is exactly why so many distros can't raise enough money to support themselves. For every person like the parent poster who buys every version to support the distro, there's hundreds of free-loaders who will never buy one even if they use it for years.

          The whole point of this model is that software should be free and companies should make their money on additional services. Maybe you're prefer them to make their money on tech support for their product. Then they'd have an incentive to make the program have serious problems to create a demand for support services. The merchandise will only sell well if the software is good enough to create a loyal fan-base, so there is still a strong incentive to create quality software.

          As a consumer, I don't need pressed copies of my distro. Why should I buy goods I don't need? I'm better off just making a donation to them and saving them the cost of pressing the discs. If I think of it as a donation though, I'm more inclined to give to the EFF, so if they rely on charity, they'll lose out.

          I do still have my official release discs of slackware 2.3 and 3.3 I bought before I got high-speed internet. Back then, the pressed CDs had some value to me, so I'd buy them.
    • I have to disagree, RH 8.0 has almost all the functionality I want in a pc these days. My only complaint is all the open source dvd players seem to be coming along very slowly or are just to technical for moi to install. If they get more of my favorite games going on this platform, my windows cd is going in the trash permantly. This coming from someone who makes his living working on windows boxes.

      If nothing else, Linux creates competition for Microsoft and should force them to lower prices in the long run. Either way, I see it as a win for the user.
    • 3. Linux is not the next wave of the desktop... yet. In the server field, Linux has most things tied up. Stability... Rock Solid. Usability for the uninitiated desktop user... Still sucks, sorry.

      Sucks to you, sucks to Aunt Tillie, but it sure as hack doesn't suck for me. Oh I actually don't use Linux, but FreeBSD, but still, X11 is still X11 on those platforms, and the same goes for KDE. It works a treat here.

      It might not be a desktop for newbies (although it is getting there), it sure as hell is a powerful desktop for power users like me. UNIX is ready for the desktop, but probably not yours yet.

  • windowsrefund.net [windowsrefund.net]

    I'm participating, tell your friends.

  • Yep (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    How many people knew he would look like that?
  • New slang term for Linux advocacy?

  • Rabble (Score:5, Informative)

    by Seumas ( 6865 ) on Friday December 27, 2002 @01:35AM (#4964799)
    I don't post on Slashdot much anymore, but I think a lot of people seem to be suffering from a bit of an attitude problem here tonight.

    I've never heard of "The Age", but the article certainly puts forth the qualifications to consider Rick a linux advocate and probably a more experienced/knowledgable member of the linux and open source community than the vast chunk of Slashdot.

    It is an article promoting his advocacy and talking about his efforts. It isn't like they reported that he wrote the Linux OS and he was going along with the assumption.

    He's done what any reasonably capable linux advocate would have done when asked to interview with an outlet - he _promoted_ linux. Wow! Imagine that.

    I don't see that he has said anywhere that he deserves attention beyond anyone else and he's not taking anything away from anyone who contributes to the cause.

    Damn people. Be humble.
    • Mr. "I have excellent karma so I don't have to post to /.

      We were joking about the article not the man, who happens to be a /. reader himself [slashdot.org]. He is in the "Excellent Karma" bracket if anyone cares.

    • FYI - The Age (Score:3, Informative)

      by tqft ( 619476 )
      Just so you know - The Age is an old and venerable institution in Australia (been round 100 or so years) as a "quality" broadsheet. It is based in Melbourne Australia.

      Now in the Murdoch stable (part of news corp_ is still does a reasonable job of annoying politicians of all persuasions and beuaracrats, as well as having excellent cricket reporting. It has a reputation as a bit left-wing (I think it was more from being an agitator in a conservative country) but that has slided a bit with Murdoch ownership.


    • I think Rick Moen knows a LOT about Linux and everything that goes with it. I think he helps some, but leaves a bad taste with others. I think he could better himself and possibly fill this "Linux Advocate" role if he took some usenet anger management classes. Until he loses his linux-god-complex, he will not have my vote.
  • Last week I submitted a story about an interview on a Samoan gazette with my friend Guido "asbestus" Flackenheimer, who is an AtheOS specificicist, and it got rejected!!1!

    Not fair!


  • Here's the first one, and it was my first experience with Rick Moen being a dickhead.
    http://www.eblug.org/forums/read.php?f= 2&i=2&t =2

    To summarize this post.. EBLUG had used Frontpage originally to design their website. Rick apparently didn't like this and called them a disgrace, basicly saying they shouldn't have a LUG because of this. I agree that it probably wasn't the brightest idea but they had to put up a page quickly and the guy didn't know HTML so he did it with Frontpage. Rick is GREAT with words, I don't know half of the big words he uses, if I did I would probably write a book. It's really hard to corner him because of this. I personally like this one - "neatly self-parodying. Commendably efficient of you." Keep in mind this was written a few years ago. Before the 2.4 kernel, etc. etc. So yes, I don't give a crap what you guys say Frontpage/Dreamweaver/Whatever beat the HELL out of any Linux-based webpage editor if your building a big site and not great at HTML.
    • VudooCrush (who seems likely to be one Josh Chaney posting with a pseudonym to climb above threshold=0) wrote:

      http://www.eblug.org/forums/read.php?f=2&i=2&t =2

      That URL is invalid. Here, let me help you. I believe you mean this thread: http://www.eblug.org/forums/read.php?f=2&i=22& t=2 [eblug.org]

      Readers will note that I did not "call the LUG a disgrace", that being Josh's misreading: I gave my opinion that it was a disgrace for a Linux user group to very obviously not use Linux for its primary public presence, especially something Linux is particularly good at, such as Web sites.

      Webmaster Jeff Burton had asked, at the top of the thread, "if anyone has any suggestions for the website or if you find an error". So, I pointed out that the Web site seemed to be pervaded with non-standard HTML characters in place of apostrophes and such (likely produced by Microsoft software), and that its HTML was a horrible tangle of tables and Javascript, which they presumably had never looked at and badly needed to. Not knowing exactly how they'd brought this about, I asked rhetorically, "What did you use, Front Page?" I said I was sorry for having to sound a bit pointed on the matter, but had been trying to call their attention to that problem for several months in e-mail, and gotten nowhere.

      Note: This was before Mozilla, Konqueror, and Opera were yet in a usable state, and browsing the LUG's site with Netscape Communicator 3.x/4.x for Linux crashed one's browser frequently (probably that tangle of tables and Javascript). In that sense, the LUG's site was actively Linux-hostile.

      Jeff confirmed that yes, they used Word and Front Page. So, I suggested some Linux-based alternatives (repeating what I'd already said in e-mail). But Josh had basically already hijacked the conversation at that point, by jumping in with name-calling directed at me.

      I posted once more to clarify that I'd not said what Josh claimed I had, and dropped the entire subject. Some weeks later, the LUG revised its site and cleaned up the HTML, and everyone (except, apparently, Josh) was happy.

      Rick Moen
      rick@linuxmafia.com

    • Wow this guy is a fucking tool.

      What was he saying in the article about how unfortunate it was that many of the technical discussions on usenet degrade into flamewars?

      22. Walk the walk, indeed.

      Don't complain about such crap when you end every post with an insult directed at the guy to whom your are replying. '

      This is great, a troll getting caught red-handed on Slashdot, the hub of dorkery everywhere! Albeit, a knowledgeable troll, but a troll nonetheless.

      Somebody interview me!
  • Welcome to the Rick Moen is a total loser show, brought to you by some clueless reporter from down under.

    You know, SVLUG, ditching that blabber mouth, Rick, from your list was the best thing you guys did. I know Rick would like to have everyone believe that he left the list on his own ... but everyone knows, or knows now, that most of the SVLUG had enough of his abusive treatment of just about anyone on-list, and forced him to cease contact with the list. Hurrah for decency! Welcome back new Linux users; Rick is gone, so it's safe to post!

    • Yet another anonymous coward (this one claiming to be named "Chris") wrote:

      SVLUG had enough of his abusive treatment of just about anyone on-list, and forced him to cease contact with the list.

      I simply stopped having time for the SVLUG list in mid-2001, the list often suffering high volume and a serious S/N problem, but do lurk and post [svlug.org] there on occasion.

      Rick Moen
      rick@linuxmafia.com

    • RM:
      Yet another anonymous coward (this one claiming to be named "Chris") wrote:

      You wish I were an AC, Mister Onymous Coward. There's no need to explain who I am, to you.

      RM:
      I simply stopped having time for the SVLUG list in mid-2001, the list often suffering high volume and a serious S/N problem, but do lurk and post there on occasion.

      That's an extremely odd way of saying, "I got booted from the SVLUG list by all the list's participants."
      See, what did I tell you all? Rick would more than love for everyone to believe that he didn't feel the community pressure to part ways with the SVLUG list. Maybe he didn't. But he did feel the proverbial boot in August 2001. His presence on the SVLUG list has been NULL for over a year, yet his activity on other lists on which he posts has been constant, if not increased, since. The "S/N problem" on the SVLUG list ceased shortly after Rick was ousted from the list. Nobody wanted his on-list abuse anymore, and the community prevailed. It's been great without the noise created by Rick, and without his attacks on community individuals. For all SVLUG list subscribers, past and present, who were intimidated by Rick's uncouth behaviour, feel free to post to the SVLUG list, again.

      - Avoid the man's inordinately malodorous feet at all costs.

      • An anonymous flamer claiming to be named "Chris" wrote:

        His presence on the SVLUG list has been NULL....

        It might well continue to be rather light, because I simply don't have time, as I'm busy with other affairs.

        Anyhow: One can't notice (1) that you're changing your story between posts -- probably because your Google research was faulty? -- but also (2) that you've been the one posting abuse, noise, and uncouth behaviour. (And, for all I know, all of the AC flamers who've plagued this topic might well be the same pair of bored teenagers in west Texas. I hope for SVLUG's sake that that's so.) I honestly don't know what your problem is, but the irony's been pretty thick.

        Rick Moen
        rick@linuxmafia.com

    • RM:
      [My presence on the SVLUG list] might well continue to be rather light....

      Excellent. Readers note that "rather light" is being used an extremely loose synonym for "nonexistent" in this context.
      RM:
      One can't notice (1) that you're changing your story between posts

      That's correct, one can't notice it, because I'm not changing topics whatsoever. The departure of Rick's noise from the SVLUG is welcome at all times, and hopefully not taken for granted by now, since it's been a long period without it. The community knows noise when it sees it, and hopefully rejects it, no matter what the source is.
      RM:
      you've been the one posting abuse, noise, and uncouth behaviour.

      I have been bringing to light the truth behind a major complaint from community members about Rick's noise and abuse in on-line lists, and how the SVLUG triumphantly rejected Rick's behaviour. The thread subject has been kept constant, and the subject has remained on point (except for this bit of a diversion to correct an obvious attempt to confuse the readers). If this thread is considered noise to those whom have endeavoured to follow the links, I appreciate all the efforts to maintain interest in this "noise" for this amout of time.

      As for the SVLUG list and community, congratulations for maintaining a friendly environment for members of the Linux community, new and established alike, to discuss the topics du jour without fearing abusive dissent from Onymous "flamers." I'm sure you all find it delightful to experience the list in it's present, low-noise, friendly state. Thanks to all of you who rise to the occasion and strive to make such an effort a continual success, in the SVLUG list and elsewhere.

      • The anonymous flamer who claims to be named "Chris" said:

        Readers note that "rather light" is being used an extremely loose synonym for "nonexistent" in this context.

        You seem to have miss the Mailman archive link I posted earlier to disprove your initial post's rather scurrilous factual claim. Whereupon, as mentioned, your story suddenly mutated. The rest of your stuff, by contrast, amounted to basically name-calling:

        I appreciate all the efforts to maintain interest in this "noise" for this amount of time.

        Which is, to be sure, a perfectly delightful way to characterise spurts of unilateral personal flamage posted from cover of anonymity. The reason I was saying it's probably a couple of bored teenagers in west Texas reflects no intent to malign the perfectly nice folk who live there, but rather difficulty otherwise imagining anywhere -- well -- dull enough to drive anyone to that kind of public misbehaviour. Apologies to any Lubbockites I might have inadvertantly offended.

        Rick Moen
        rick@linuxmafia.com

  • The `loner' may be respected, but he is always resented by his colleagues,
    for he seems to be passing a critical judgment on them, when he may be
    simply making a limiting statement about himself.
    -- Sidney Harris

    - this post brought to you by the Automated Last Post Generator...

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