Walter V. Koenning has an article (Linux Snobs: Real Barriers to Entry) on the condescending reaction prospective and new Linux users sometimes get when they seek help in online forums. I think Walter’s observations are right on.

This kind of snobbery, however, not only erects barriers to the use of Linux but also has the effect of repelling experienced Linux users who are fed up of having to deal with buggy or poorly documented software. Bad documentation in particular is rarely acknowledged as being a manifestation of snobbery (the rationale for bad doc being: “they can just read the code”) but is just as common as condescending comments.

Related post: My next laptop: a Mac?