It’s All About Community

I have a strange mind. I read quickly and extract information that sometimes others miss. Images jump out at me, almost off the page. This is true for novels or weblogs. Afterwards, I think about it and it is the images that spring to mind. I can’t even remember a joke verbatim. It is just the way my mind works.

So when I think of Linux, I think of community. There is lots more to Linux, but it is community that springs to my mind. That is probably because it is like a Second Life for me. I spend much time out there, in the Linux community. But when I think of community, I think of only one thing, Ubuntu.

Now, Ubuntu did not invent community. What they have succeeded to do is to perfect it.  It starts with their philosophy of humanity towards others, but extends outwards from there, empowering people to go out into the world, spreading this message of acceptance and inclusion. And it has paid big dividends.

Ubuntu is the number one distribution. It does some things better than other distros, but it may not be the best. In fact, it does not have to be the best, because they just get it. They know that people are social animals and live in herds. And so, they develop the community better than anyone else.

I don’t know how many times that I have read a great how-to article which usually begins with “guess what you can do with Ubuntu” or “this is what I learned to do with Ubuntu”. It usually has the word Ubuntu in the headline along with what you can do. I am sure that you have seen them too. Now, I told you that my mind is strange. I never accept things at face value. So, I begin to think, “Could this be done only in Ubuntu?” And usually the answer is “No.” Most things can be done in most other distros. But, and this is important, Ubuntu gets the credit. Why?

Ubuntu has empowered the user. The user is grateful and wants to share. That is part of the herd mentality fostered by Ubuntu. The user feels not only an obligation to the herd, but he or she is genuine in his or her expression of gratitude. For people outside of the Ubuntu community, this is a turn off. They do not get it because they are not part of the herd. They sometimes respond in ways that are unfavourable or sometimes meekly proclaim that they can do that in their distro, too.

But sometimes we hear such things, often written in caps, as: UBUNTU IS NOT LINUX or the reverse statement. Maybe you have seen that one, also. This is, of course, true. There are many distributions; some are great. But they are not getting the credit that they deserve. It isn’t Ubuntu’s fault. It comes down to community.

The Ubuntu community has grown to the size that it dwarfs every other one. That is a testimony to the power of community. People seek comfort in the shelter of the herd. They feel that people in the herd can identify with them. They feel that they can express themselves freely and they will be heard and understood. Outside of the herd they are not so sure. They know that there are some down right unfriendly types out there. So when critics of Ubuntu get angry this only drives people more towards Ubuntu. It has the opposite effect to what they are trying to do. Outside of the community, if you say you use Ubuntu, you almost feel apologetic, but inside the community it is different. You are a part of what is happening and you know that it is not just big, but it is huge.

I get why others like to take shots at Ubuntu. They are looking at it from a different perspective. They are looking at it as a detached person would or sometimes even as a critic would. They are looking for flaws and because no distro is perfect they find them. They like to trumpet these successes, in the vain hope that they will some how stem the tide. They won’t. Their voice is wasted because people don’t want to hear about problems. They want solutions. People listen to their own kind, more than they do outsiders, so no points are scored when they criticise. Mention the same concerns inside the community and scores of people all of a sudden are listening and people spring into action. Well, almost.

Their intentions are good for the most part. These people believe in their distro to the same degree that Ubuntu people do. But they need to learn that the way to develop a distro is to foster community. You don’t have to be the best. You just have to be perceived to be where people congregate and feel welcome. You see, people are social animals and people want to belong and be part of something bigger than they are. Ubuntu understands this and plays this card better than anyone else.

As I write this people are congregating in Washington for the inauguration. The worlds’ collective eyes are focussed on Washington and people, not only in the United States want to be part of it. They have flooded into D.C. to be part of history. People have gathered in their living rooms with T.V. sets turned on. They know that tomorrow it is back to work and the job will be monumental. But all of that does not matter, because they are part of something that is, for at least this moment, significant.

If you tally up all of the people who say they were at Woodstock they would greatly exceed the actual numbers. It was a watershed moment and people want to be part of it, even if it is just in their consciousness. It is intrinsic in our nature to want tobe part of something.

Ideology comes first. It must speak to people and their needs. As they said in Field of Dreams, “Build it and they will come”.  The product takes second place and the ideology will only attract users to the degree that it includes them. Ubuntu’s Humanity to Others is significant because we are all part of others. It is about moving from being an outsider and being accepted by the community. When you cross that line, you don’t have to prove yourself worthy. You just are. It is not this way in all communities. That is where Ubuntu stands out from the rest of the Linux or GNU pack.

I don’t know if you could re-create Ubuntu’s success, but you could try. There can’t be another Woodstock, because there was only one moment in time like that. Ubuntu was there with the right recipe at the right time. Others tried to duplicate Woodstock and it ended up looking like Altamont. The Altamont promoters thought that it was about giving a free concert, but they missed the mark. Woodstock was more. It was about spontaneous sharing, caring and community. It was an original and there can never be another like it. Success is hard to duplicate, but if you want to try remember that it is all about community.