Less heat more light please

I posted something on Twitter a few days ago that, while some may think it hypocritical coming from someone who has had their fair share of fanboy moments, is actually the truth.

It stems from this whole iPhone vs. Android thing that has been going on in our office ever since I got my Android phone a few months ago, and which, I have to confess was at least in part of my own making (although even if I'd said nothing I don't doubt there would have been some people who would still have kicked up a fuss).

But it goes beyond phones and highlights something that has been bugging me for a while now. It's this whole thing of slagging off, either directly or indirectly, people, products, companies, ideas, etc. that don't tally up with your own particular views, preferences or lifestyle choices.

It's nothing new, and it can be found across every part of society, but it seems to have been implicitly sanctioned among techie circles as if its somehow ok to be derogatory if you're talking about technology. Just look at the vehemence with which people will not only defend their particular brand of phone or computer or games console, but also belittle and ridicule the competition as if it was so completely ridiculous that anyone could possibly have a different opinion or make a different choice. And of course, what is implied is that the people who have made those different choices and hold those different opinions are therefore somehow a bit retarded or stupid or deluded or whatever!

Competition is good and healthy and necessary, don't get me wrong, that's not what I'm arguing against. Nor am I suggesting that people shouldn't hold opinions or defend their choices. But what I am saying is that when that spills over into arrogance, pride, or antagonism, it turns sour and has a detrimental effect all round.

Not only is it unpleasant, I think it is actually damaging for the whole industry if these sorts of things take a hold. Far better that people learn to see the good and appreciate the best across the board. My choices are my choices. My opinions are my opinions. Other people are not only entitled to their choices and opinions, they are also just as right about them as I am about mine. That's because most of what lies behind those choices and opinions is purely subjective - what I prefer, rather than what is objectively better. People can - and do - argue at great length over whether this or that technology is better than another, but often the reality is not that one is better, it's simply that they are different. 'Better' depends on your frame of reference.

Anyway, what I am trying to say, in a very roundabout and garbled way, is: lets all just learn to get along. Let's look for the positives rather than the negatives. Let's realise that everyone has got something worthwhile to bring to the table. No-one has it all, no-one is the winner. All common-sense stuff really once you step away from the heat of it all and look at things objectively.