What Are We? A Ship, a Plane, a Bird, a Club, a Gang? The Smurfs?

dura · 2012-12-13 23:51:32

When somebody new arrives they often get welcomed with the old adage of 'Welcome Aboard', or something similar. I've looked back through the forum posts quite a while back, and it just keeps on being said. People from way back say it, new guys do too. Some people mix it up- "Welcome aboard, thanks for flying #!", all sorts. For some reason, some people seem to think we are a ship, or a plane, or something. It's a saying, I get that. Are we? It definitely feels like there is a lot of movement and change in the forums. The modernist idea of moving forward, progression, and all that relates well, if not the discourse of technology, but also to the feeling of learning, and being in the forums. Others pose us as a gang of sorts, a motley crue- "We are glad to have you!". This feels like a reference to a game of sorts, when I arrived, probably unknowledgeably, I thought it might be a reference to WWOW or something. But what are we? Perhaps we don't have to define ourselves. Perhaps that would be wrong to say what we are, to call time on the feeling of movement and change. It just seems that we are not a ship. Or a boat. Or a plane. I guess this thread is pretty closely related to 'Why do you Use Crunchbang?', or a similar asking into the experience of becoming member, and using #!.

So how do we define this "space"? How do we relate to each other? Are we The Smurfs? Is papa nominal our leader? Are we a bunch of smelly hippies? Is there nothing to us? Is it even a community? Are we just instruments at each others' disposal? Is the forum just here because it helps us work with our systems? What are we? Please, try and tell me, the existential angst is killing me!

Last edited by dura (2012-12-13 23:56:35)

wuxmedia · 2012-12-14 00:02:11

wow.
it just kinda is

BTW i didn't do anything to your subsonic server, even though it might appear, immediately after i logged on and listen to a track, to be my fault that it shutdown...

and at the very high risk of sounding spacky this is a bbs 'a board' so welcome 'on board'
Mr #!Dev himself quite likes talking like a pirate.

you sound like my bro-in-law. he thinks very deeply too

Last edited by wuxmedia (2012-12-14 00:06:14)

pidsley · 2012-12-14 00:02:52

In my opinion, "we" are an "aggregate." http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/aggregate

1. formed by the conjunction or collection of particulars into a whole mass or sum; total; combined: the aggregate amount of indebtedness.
4. a sum, mass, or assemblage of particulars; a total or gross amount: the aggregate of all past experience.
6. any of various loose, particulate materials, as sand, gravel, or pebbles, added to a cementing agent to make concrete, plaster, etc.

This definition doesn't really apply: "5. a cluster of soil granules not larger than a small crumb. " :-)

Short answer: We're just a bunch of nerds, all assembled in one place (but not necessarily at one time) with a common interest in Linux, and in helping each other. Some of us don't run #!, so that's not really the answer.

Last edited by pidsley (2012-12-14 00:06:49)

el_koraco · 2012-12-14 00:04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFvT_qEZJf8

wuxmedia · 2012-12-14 00:10:26

^ damn - who sampled that bit, 'go find truth' hmm i think it was DJ Rubbish

I like 'aggregate'

Last edited by wuxmedia (2012-12-14 00:20:55)

antiv0rtex · 2012-12-14 03:21:56

We are, in my opinion and (limited) experience, a collection of extremely friendly and quite laid-back Linux enthusiasts united by our use of an absolutely brilliant distribution.

VastOne · 2012-12-14 03:43:52

A collective of Knowledge, Experience and Giving Selflessly

KEGS

(Note to corenominal, I have secured the patent.. ]:D )

pvsage · 2012-12-14 06:32:10

@dura: Wow, what a uniquely ontological thread!

We're a pirate crew with a gang- or mob-like organizational structure. You're not a full member until you completely bork your system and have to reinstall. 8o

VastOne · 2012-12-14 06:48:38

^ That! I like it pvsage...

CaptainIndifferent · 2012-12-14 07:10:40

^^Bork frequently, reinstall never. Just test stuff out in a VBox VM and take a snapshot before trying anything risky. Then if it all goes pear shaped you can just revert and try something else.

fatmac · 2012-12-14 10:05:37

We are a loose knit group of people cruising along in/on the internet with a self held belief that we should give as others have given to us, freely without charge.

The #! forum is one of many places that many of us 'give back to the community' in appreciation of the work others have put into FOSS so that we may use our computers without restrictions. I am not a programmer & therefore needed another way to contribute, so I try to help anyone that I can via forums such as these. It makes me feel better that I am not just a 'taker & user'.

So, what we are trying to convey to newcommers (to FOSS) is 'glad you found your way here, if you don't know, ask, & someone will try to help you'; no charge.

dura · 2012-12-14 17:18:40

Perhaps, a becoming? If we're talking ontology pvsage. "Continuity without separation."

Last edited by dura (2012-12-15 01:47:27)

intoCB · 2012-12-14 19:30:04

This is what we are:

lcafiero · 2012-12-14 21:27:52

wuxmedia wrote:

it just kinda is

I don' t think there's much more to it than this. We are.

pvsage · 2012-12-14 21:50:14

^ Are we? I think we are, therefore we seem to be...

lcafiero · 2012-12-14 21:51:41

That's right, Mr. Descartes

dura · 2012-12-14 22:28:00

^Saying something is doesn't define what it is. We are...what?

Last edited by dura (2012-12-15 01:47:54)

lcafiero · 2012-12-14 22:40:18

Well, let's talk about something that, looking back at the thread, I don't think we've addressed: The fact that the expression "Welcome aboard" once dealt with greeting people boarding a craft of some sort -- ship, airplane, spacecraft, etc. -- but now serves as a catch-all phrase for "We're glad you're here," regardless of what "here" might be.

dura · 2012-12-14 22:46:31

^This has been addressed already. "Welcome aboard" is, as said in the introduction, a saying of sorts. It is a welcome. But to what? This is not a ship. You may not be interested in defining the thingyness of the thing that is, and that's cool. But what is it that you are welcoming people to?

Last edited by dura (2012-12-14 22:51:55)

lcafiero · 2012-12-14 22:57:01

dura wrote:

But what is it that you are welcoming people to?

Well, personally, I would answer your question with a question -- two actually -- like "Does it matter?" and "If so, why?" But frankly I don't really care -- it's not as important to stick a term on what we are as it is to do what we do here in what I would consider "the CrunchBang community." But you can call it whatever you like.

dura · 2012-12-14 23:30:11

The wise, welcoming, and curious response (you being a mod?) would be to either engage with things in a positive way, or just ignore them. Quite disappointed with your negativity to this really.

Is there anything more important than what things mean? (Its a rhetorical question- no need for you to answer).

VastOne · 2012-12-14 23:34:04

^ What? A mod cannot have an opinion?

Strange days indeed.

lcafiero, you and that damned ginsu knife of yours again... snicker snicker...

dura · 2012-12-14 23:43:42

Of course, they can. That is exactly what the point of this thread was for- to get opinions, and experiences. It just seemed very negative, and aimed to close down the discussion rather than contribute in a positive way. He was off topic.

VastOne · 2012-12-14 23:47:29

Wait wait wait... You start a thread in an Off Topic area, ask for opinions and then determine that someone can be off topic with an opinion?

I am thoroughly confused. Nothing lcafiero said was remotely negative, I would look more at how you are perceiving what he said.

Cheers

dura · 2012-12-14 23:51:59

I really don't want to argue about this. It was meant to be a fun thread.

lcafiero wrote:

"Does it matter?" and "If so, why?" But frankly I don't really care

This is very negative. Obviously. Every off topic thread still has a topic.

I'm not trying to determine what people can say. I'm defending the fact that I am interested in it- even if Larry thinks it is pointless.

Don't worry. I wont bother trying anymore.

Last edited by dura (2012-12-14 23:54:55)

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#1 2012-12-13 23:51:32

What Are We? A Ship, a Plane, a Bird, a Club, a Gang? The Smurfs?

#2 2012-12-14 00:02:11

Re: What Are We? A Ship, a Plane, a Bird, a Club, a Gang? The Smurfs?

#3 2012-12-14 00:02:52

Re: What Are We? A Ship, a Plane, a Bird, a Club, a Gang? The Smurfs?

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#10 2012-12-14 07:10:40

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#11 2012-12-14 10:05:37

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#14 2012-12-14 21:27:52

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#15 2012-12-14 21:50:14

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#16 2012-12-14 21:51:41

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#20 2012-12-14 22:57:01

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#21 2012-12-14 23:30:11

Re: What Are We? A Ship, a Plane, a Bird, a Club, a Gang? The Smurfs?

#22 2012-12-14 23:34:04

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#23 2012-12-14 23:43:42

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#24 2012-12-14 23:47:29

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