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Re: [comp.os.linux.advocacy] FAQ and Primer for COLA, Edition III

On Mon, 23 Jul 2007 07:45:56 +0000, Anonymous wrote:

> From: <gobshite snipped>

Following is from the official FAQ at:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/

Below excerpt best describes trolling activities against Linux advocates.
This includes activities like this troll, who prefers to hide behind 
anonymising servers.  Little does he understand that there are motorcyclists
who embrace Linux.  His foolish acts are the beginning of his undoing.

Ride safe, HPT

********************************************************

[comp.os.linux.advocacy] FAQ and Primer for COLA, Edition III

Copyright: (c) 2002 The FAQ and Primer for COLA Team -- All Rights Reserved

          Frequently Asked Questions and Primer for comp.os.linux.advocacy

                                    Edition III

                                   April 19, 2002

                +-------------------------------------------------+
                | Beware of those who would call you a friend for |
                | many will eat your bread while working against  |
                | you. They will take credit for your good works  |
                |      and blame you for their own misdeeds.      |
                |               - TheGreat Unknown                |
                +-------------------------------------------------+


(OFFICIAL FAQ CONTINUED)

                       7 Anti-Linux Propagandists and Trolls

     The comp.os.linux.advocacy newsgroup is a newsgroup that is under siege by
     one or more factions of anti-Linux propagandists. In the past those
     factions have appeared to be confident and smug; however, as of late it
     appears that they are becoming ever more desperate. The reason for their
     desperation appears to be as a result of growth of the mind share of Linux
     and the continuing failures of their chosen cause. Besides the true
     anti-Linux propagandists there are also the occasional classic newsgroup
     troll.

     It can be difficult to determine what type of person a particular
     disruptive personality is; an anti-Linux Propagandist or just a troll.
     That is because they both use some of the same tactic. What it not
     difficult to determine is what their purpose is when they post to COLA.
     They are doing it to disrupt the newsgroup and sidetrack its purpose of
     existence. Regardless of their reason for the disruption, they are trying
     to prevent: the free exchange of knowledge and support based on experience
     of using Linux that would otherwise be happening in COLA, if it were not
     for their interference.

     The free and open discussions between the experienced users and the new
     users and the would be users of Linux that is our goal. That is the goal
     of all those who would be Linux advocates as well as all others who come
     to COLA to discuss Linux. All of us, Linux users new and old, those
     curious about Linux, and others, have come to COLA as students and as
     teachers. All that is except for the anti-Linux propagandists and the
     trolls, they have come to COLA to destroy it and prevent its being an
     asset to the Linux community.

     As has been stated else where in this document, all are welcome in COLA,
     except those who come to COLA to destroy Linux, COLA, or the Linux
     Community.

7.1 Disinformation

     If COLA were a physical location like a building where those who would
     advocate the growth of the Linux operating systems and the Linux community
     gather, the anti-Linux propagandists would be raiding that building. They
     would be vandalizing the building, painting graffiti on the walls,
     defecating and urinating on the floors and furniture, breaking down the
     doors, setting fire to the building and physically assaulting the resident
     Linux advocates and the visitors who happen to be in the building at the
     time of the raid.

     COLA is not a physical location, so they have had to adapt their methods
     so that they can do an on-line version of what was described in the prior
     paragraph. A key method used by anti-Linux propagandist to attack Linux,
     its users, sysadmins, developers, advocates and those who have come to
     COLA to lean about Linux. is a form of propaganda known as disinformation.
     One of their favorite version of disinformation is known as FUD.

7.3 A Common FUD of the Anti-Linux Propagandists

     An example of dishonesty of the anti-Linux propagandists is their common
     claim that the Linux proponents in COLA oppose the use of any other
     operating system. They also would have you believe that the Linux
     proponents in COLA oppose everyone who does not use Linux all the time.
     Those are some of the lies that they use to try to discredit Linux users
     who post in COLA.

     The truth is that a user of one or more operating systems other than Linux
     are not opposed in COLA for that reason alone. Many of the Linux Advocates
     in COLA have experience on many other operating systems besides Linux.
     Many do use multiple operating systems on a regular basis. It is due to
     this experience that any disinformation regarding the capabilities of
     Linux, or that of other operating systems are easily detected by the Linux
     advocates.

     It is not difficult to tell the difference between an anti-Linux
     Propagandist and a true advocates of another operating system. Occasional
     mention of other operating systems is fine. However, it is the frequent or
     continuous promotion of other operating systems that turns a welcome
     poster into an unwelcome troll or anti-Linux propagandist.

7.6 Trespasser Disinformation Tactics

     This is a list of the disinformation tactics that the that the anti-Linux
     propagandists who post in COLA have been using. All of these tactics have
     been used in COLA by the anti-Linux propagandists against the Linux
     advocates and the rest of the COLA readership to further the cause of the
     anti-Linux propagandists. This list has been worded as though you are one
     of them, so that you can better see through their eyes how they think.

            Act offended or claim that opposing viewpoints are incredible and/or
         unbelievable. When you are unable to valid argument to refute a Linux
         advocate, use empty statements such as:
            * "OH PULEEEZE!"
            * "Only a Linonut would say that"
            * "And they wonder why no one takes Linux seriously!"
            * "How dare you say that!"
            * "That's the way to offend thousands!"

            Distract your opponent from the issues at hand by accusing your
         opponents of being "petty", "pathetic", "childish" or any of a number
         of other such terms.

            Put your opponent off guard by insulting him.  The liberal use of
         profanity and vulgarisms can be very effective, particularly when used
         against you more dignified opponents.  Your experience as a school
         yard bully can be handy here

            Be patronizing, condescending and present an air of superiority. It
         may hide your inferiority to the casual reader.  Use phrases like
         "kid" or "son", to elevate your relative apparent authority by
         attempting to diminish that of the Linux advocate you are addressing.

            Discredit your opponent or his position through the use of
         inappropriate laugher and other non-verbal grunts.

            When your tactics are turned on you, call you opponents trolls.  Do
         not accept the fact that by calling someone using your tactics a troll
         that makes you the real troll.

            Keep posting non-stop.  Flood the group with your idiocy and nonsense.
         Some readers may equate your volume with proof of quality.  You will
         tie good Linux advocates in knots trying to refute you and they won't
         have time for real advocacy.

            Brag about destroying newsgroups and threaten to do the same to
         comp.os.linux.advocacy.

            Drive as many good Linux Advocates out of the group as possible.

     10. Refuse to admit your errors
         Never ever admit your errors no matter how blatant they are.  If you
         find no way out and have to admit that you are wrong, phrase it so
         that you can accuse your opponent of being wrong.

     11. Never apologize for your misbehavior
         Never ever apologize no matter how out of line you have been behaving.
         If you should ever find it to your advantage to apologize, phrase it
         as a slap in the face of the person who you have already wronged.

     12. Blame your stupidity and lies on your opponent
         Blame your own stupidity on the Linux advocate you are dealing with.
         Such as when you have made an unsupportable claim that suggest a list
         of details and your are asked to present your non-existent list reply
         with, "I don't have to list them for you; you aren't bright enough to
         know what you're missing by using X instead of a real Y, I'm not going
         to explain it to you." Then hope that nobody reading the thread
         realizes that your statement translates as, "I lack the knowledge or
         facts needed to counter your position or your position is too complete
         and accurate to be refuted.  So, I will say things to sound superior
         to avoid admitting you are right."

     13. Embarrass your opponent
         Locate or create apparently embarrassing information or detail and
         utilize it out of all proportion-trying to create a scandal around it,
         to hijack a thread or drive everyone to distraction.

     14. Blackmail your opponent
         Locate or create apparently embarrassing information or detail and
         threaten your opponent with exposure to force him to do as you want
         him to. This tactic can be combined with the "Embarrass your opponent"
         tactic if you can no longer get your way though Blackmail.

     15. Avoid answering direct questions
         Avoid answering a direct questions that you fear by claiming to not
         have seen the question then refuse to address it for other reasons.
         Keep it up along with other tactics until your opponent is distracted
         from the question.

     16. Turn a question asked of you back on your opponent
         Better yet, turn the questions back on the Linux Advocate with a
         question like: "What do you think is the `right' answer, lamer?" You
         have now taken the heat off of your ignorance and you have cast doubt
         on the credibility of your opponent.

     17. Don't substantiate your claims
         Refuse to present evidence to support your invalid claims. Repeat your
         invalid claims and have your anti-Linux propagandist comrades do the
         same. Do the same for any invalid claims that you have notice your
         anti-Linux propagandists comrades make.

     18. Don't discuss evidence counter to your position
         Avoid examining or discussing evidence counter to your position. This
         is especially effective when combined with 3.2.8, Dancing Fool,
         wherein you change your position with every post.

     19. Present multiple personalities
         Change your position with every few article you post to
         comp.os.linux.advocacy. Appear to be supporting all sides of the
         issues. You can make a statements or opinion in one posting then
         follow it up with a another post with a contrary opinion. You can even
         get into an argument with yourself. This could cause readers to
         dismiss the subject of the thread.

     20. Narrow the scope of threads so that you can handle it. Narrow the
         scope of the issues that are being addressed in a thread to details
         you feel that you can refute, ridicule, or dismiss leaving the main
         issues unaddressed.

     21. Widen the scope of threads to swamp out the original issue.
         Widen the scope of the issues discussed in a thread to the point that
         the original issues are buried away and hopefully soon forgotten.

     22. Use invalid statistics
         Introduce statistics to try to hurt Linux, Linux Advocates, and/or the
         Linux community at large. Do not about them be valid or real. It would
         be nice if you can find those statistics on-line, but if you can't
         find any, invent them out of whole cloth.  If they are discredited,
         don't let that bother you, keep citing them. If you see a fellow
         anti-Linux propagandist using statistics, cite them as well, no matter
         their lack of validity.

     23. Lie
         Lie, lie, lie, lie.  If you do it often enough you may create the
         appearance of truth.

     24. Ignore dictionaries when they don't support you
         Rage against the use of dictionaries or other such documents, their
         use can only hurt you and expose your ignorance.

     25. Attack new posters who favor Linux
         Some of these Linux Advocates may be new to Linux and COLA. Show no
         mercy. Pounce upon their innocence with every single one of these
         tactics. If you are lucky you might turn them to your side, at the
         very least you may be able to drive them out of COLA and neutralize
         them as a threat.

     26. Attack typos and ignore the content of the message.
         Point out your opponent's grammatical flaws and spelling errors. By
         doing this you can concentrate on form while ignoring substance. This
         is a very handy method to discredit your opponent and by extension his
         position, without once again exposing your ignorance of the issues
         begin discussed in the thread.

     27. Use Spelling and Grammatical Errors to Distract
         Make statements like, "Why do you nea d to dbug the cernal? Is lienux
         not working agen!" When this tactic works, you have disarmed the
         supporters of Linux who have chosen to ignore you because of your
         idiot act, others may react to your style and fail to refute your
         disinformation. Meanwhile, you have posted your disinformation in
         support your cause.

     28. Start trolling threads
         Start threads with subjects like "Linsux Sux", "Linux fonts are bad",
         etc. Manufacture false evidence to back up your claims when possible,
         but don't worry that that is not important. All that is important is
         that you consume the efforts and resources of Linux Advocate as they
         try to refute your trolling threads and that you scare the new and
         casual readership of COLA.

     29. Unreasonably proclaim your reasonableness
         If your method to deliver anti-Linux propaganda is not among the more
         article style, you can try to claim to be reasonable. Of course if you

         really were reasonable, you would not be an anti-Linux propagandists
         in he first place; however, compared to your more radical comrades you
         may seem to be more reasonable. You can not be certain that the
         readership of COLA will accept your actions as being reasonable
         without your prompting them to think of you that way. So you need
         frequently mention how reasonable you are.

     30. Expose yourself on COLA.
         Post articles in COLA containing ASCII art depicting your body
         including your genitals, either in the message body or in the sig.
         Discuss your bodily functions and your bodily wastes, the more
         disgusting the better. It will tend to drive away more of the casual
         and new readers. The Linux Advocates who are frequent posters may
         become disgusted enough to avoid threads that you involve yourself in.

     31. If it makes Microsoft or Windows look bad call it a rumor
         Claim that anything that tends to make Microsoft or Windows look bad
         is an unfounded rumor and that you opponent is being unfair.  If the
         information is obscure enough claim that it is an urban legend, hoping
         that no one knows that many legends are based on fact.

     32. Promote Windows at every opportunity
         Microsoft Windows needs a lot of help to be successful in the mind
         share of its targeted user base. Point out to everybody on COLA how
         wonderful it is. Ignore the meaning of the name of the newsgroup and
         its charter.

     33. Claim false Alignment
         Remind Everyone that you are a long-time Linux user and advocate. Of
         course it is not true, so you will be accused of being what you really
         are.  When that happens and you are accused of working against Linux.
         Deny!  Deny! Deny!

     34. Use of false identities
         Create throw away identities to enter the newsgroup to spread discord
         and after a few days or weeks, stop using that identity. If you are
         losing an argument create a new identity to support the position of
         your main identity. If things are getting slow, create a few
         identities counter to your primary identity.  Start a n-on-1 argument
         with your primary identity being outnumbered.  Then have each of your
         new identities be convinced by your primary identity to the error of
         their ways.

     35. When thing get too hot go away
         When all else fails and things get too hot, disappear from the group.
         This is not as drastic as it sounds.  You might stay away for a few
         months and then return hoping that the other wintrolls have softened
         up the field a bit.  If you don't want to stay away at all.  Create a
         new primary identity and drop the use of the other one.

     36. Enter COLA as a sleeper.
         If you are a new anti-Linux propagandist, or at least your current
         false identity is new, then make your entrance as a dedicated Linux
         user. After a little while, claim to have seen the light and "convert
         back to Windows".  Then you can promote Windows all you want for a
         while, before your true nature is commonly known. Sometimes this works
         for several hours before you are shouted down and have to move on to a
         new identity or continue on as "normal" anti-Linux propagandist.

     37. Enter COLA as a false disgruntled Linux user.
         Create a throw away false identity to enter the newsgroup in order
         claim to be short or long term Linux users who "have had enough of
         Linux and are returning to Windows." Stir things up for a day or two
         and disappear forever.

     38. Never leave a Linux positive thread unchallenged.
         If there is a thread developing that is positive for Linux, hijack
         that thread at all cost.  Even if it means sacrificing your current
         identity.  One method to do this is to ramble on about other topics,
         with or without the use embedded insults.  Even if you fail to hijack
         the thread, you may be able to derail it enough to cancel the
         positive-for Linux-impact that it could have had.

     39. Lie about what you know
         Claim credit for experience, knowledge, or education that you do not
         have. It will impress readers who are not knowledgeable on the topic
         of the moment. Be careful to not engage someone who is truly
         knowledgeable on the subject in conversation or your actual ignorance
         will be exposed.

     40. Avoid providing any help.
         Because you claim to be such an expert so often, you may from time to
         time be asked for assistance.  Don't provide it, you would only
         destroy the image you have lied so long to create.  Treat an honest
         request based on a real situation as an argument: Restate the request
         for assistance in a real situation as a hypothetical situation that
         you can argue against.

     41. Use of Undefined Terminology
         Use terms such as "indoctrinated" as a substitute for "educated" or
         "experienced" when referring to a Linux Advocate.  Use "pedantic" in
         place of "correct", "precise", or "accurate" when referring to a Linux
         Advocate.  Create and use personal definitions such as "commercial
         quality" for impressive sounding terms to mislead the unwary.  But
         never share your definitions for your inappropriate terminology. This
         is commonly known as Troll-speak.

     42. Use fake email addresses.
         Use a fake email address, not just a de-spammed address like real
         advocates use, but a completely fake and made-up one. If you feel the
         need for the appearance of normality use a real appearing email
         address-maybe not one of yours, but you can try to explain your act of
         identity theft as an accident.

     43. Citing vapor postings
         Cite the statements that you had "intended" to include but never
         actual written into your past posting. Gamble on the possibility that
         nobody will remember what you posted and that nobody will do the
         research to determine what you have posted. If you loose that bet, use
         another disinformation tactic to deflect the results of your using
         this tactic.

     44. Use being an idiot as an excuse
         When you are criticized for using disinformation tactics, claim
         ignorance of the disinformation tactics and use your apparent idiocy
         as an excuse for your actions. Do the same for your comrades, when a
         Linux Advocate corners one of your fellow anti-Linux propagandists
         tell that advocate something like "What are you doing? It's only John
         Doe for goodness sake!"

     45. Criticize Linux Advocates but ignore anti-Linux propagandist
         transgressions
         Always criticize the behavior of Linux Advocates, but, ignore the same
         and even worse transgressions are being committed by your fellow
         Trespassers.

     46. Accept the claims of other anti-Linux propagandists as face value
         Always treat other anti-Linux propagandist's statements as being true.
         Accept their interpretations without question, don't bother verifying
         their statements. If they claim something against a Linux advocate
         always side with the anti-Linux propagandists.

     47. Don't do your own homework
         Make your opponent do your research for you. Depending on who much
         credibility you still have will determine how successful you will be
         at this tactic.

     48. Don't let your ignorance stop you from posting
         No matter how little you understand of the issues being discussed in a
         thread, post anyway. If you don't know what you are talking about just
         pretend that you do.

     49. Restate the issues to support your preconceptions
         If the issues being discussed in a thread are not exploitable by you
         for your purpose, restate the issues to support your ability to attack
         Linux Advocate opponent.

     50. Claim god like attributes
         Claim god like attributes, such as being all knowing. If you don't
         want to make that claim, behave as though you are, any way.

     51. Claim only you understand what the issues are.
         Claim and other wise present the attitude to imply that only you know
         what the issues really are. Attempt to project the attitude that would
         tend to discredit your opponent at the same time.

     52. Invoke the mythical average user
         Always use the mythical average users as your yardstick for usability.
         No matter what is being discussed about Linux, restate the abilities
         of the average users to fall short of that needed.

     53. Use extortion to build an army
         Use extortion against a group to generate an army of flunkies to do
         your bidding and do you fighting for you. Such as when things are not
         going the way you want in COLA, crosspost a threat in another
         newsgroup a thread of your intention of making thing miserable for
         them if they don't take up your battle for you. This is a dangerous
         tactic for you the anti-Linux propagandists. If they don't react the
         way you wanted them to, you will either have to forget it or you could
         carry our your threat. If you forget it, you will loose even more
         credibility. If you carry out your threat you will still loose
         credibility and you could open yourself up for reprisal from those
         your are hurting by carrying out your threat. Even if you do form your
         army, you will be held responsible for the results of their actions on
         your behalf. A recent case (as of this writing) of this tactic being
         used by a anti-Linux propagandists can be revived by reading the
         thread that resulted with the crossposting of Message-ID:
         ozub8.40974$Wf1.7452...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx to comp.os.linux.advocacy and
         comp.os.linux.misc.

     54. The devil made me do it
         When you are caught in a situation for which you can not explain you
         actions without a confession of your dishonesty and your alignment,
         blame it on someone else. Create a boogyman to take the blame. A
         variation of this tactic was used in the thread cited above, in which
         the failed extortionist blames all the Linux Advocates in COLA for
         forcing him into attempting extortion.

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