Ubuntu isn't Linux, What's a Beginner anyways?

Today Joel Spolsky announced The results of the poll of whether ubuntu SE and unix SE would be merged, they won't. In short the Unix community was in favor of it but the Ubuntu community was not. Joel had this to say:

So, Ubuntu, Linux, I get it, it’s clearly not the same thing. If you love Ubuntu, we have a site for you. If you love Linux and Unix, we have a site for you. A Stack Exchange can’t work without a community that loves a subject, and love is very… specific. Fighting human nature is hard: the factionalism and fork-happiness of the Unix world has been a hallmark of that community ever since BSD vs. System V, and Stack Exchange can no more bridge that gap than we can unite the Judean resistance.

I am horribly disappointed in this decision, this factionalism doesn't help the cause, this set's precedence that it's ok in the StackExchange community to be a separatist. Arch Linux's bash must not be the same as Ubuntu's or Fedora's, and of course they've made so many changes to upstream Gnome as to be unrecognizable as such.

The main argument in favor of this separatist movement is that Ubuntu is for beginners, if that's so then why isn't it beginner.unix SE? What's a beginner anyways?

I'd dare wager that 99.999% (POOMA) of all Linux users are windows Power users, veterans, and refugees. So what's a beginner? someone that doesn't know what Firefox is? No they probably do. Maybe they don't know where it is in the menu? I can see that... but I don't see how that can't be answered with a Screenshot and a Ubuntu tag on Unix SE. Maybe it's someone who doesn't know how to use the CLI? Well where do you define beginner from advanced? I realize someone reading there first shell programming Tut/Book/etc is a beginner, but are they no longer a beginner after that? how do you know you're not a beginner anymore? When you choose to move beyond Ubuntu? If I've been using Linux for 5 years and I choose to move to FreeBSD am I a Beginner?

Why is that the answer to a beginner from an advanced user isn't welcome? Is it good that beginner are exclusively answering other beginner questions?

In other news it looks like I may become a moderator ( temporary at least ) for unix SE.

If you can't beat them, join them

I have been heavily criticized for criticizing, critiquing, and complaining about lack of quality in open source projects. I have done these things because I care, generally because I care about that specific project, or Open Source (or whatever I'm talking about) in general. I've been attacked, insulted, and sworn at. I've recently come to the realization that the community support that behavior, to the point that they won't stand up against those doing it. It is a very cliquish and tribal community, if you're in the in crowd you can do or say what you want, if not you'll be ostracized. I have been ostracized for years. I have decided to join the opinions of those I've been ostracized by, but also to accept my exile.

In order to discontinue my negative and inappropriate behavior, I have to stop caring. I choose now to not care about helping others who cannot (or choose not?) to help themselves. I will no longer complain about the problems of some projects, even those that I can and have provided fixes to the problems for. I will no longer fix problems that do not impact me. I will no longer tell people that they are misguided, no matter how much they are. I will no longer produce anything that doesn't help me. I have to become selfish and stop caring about the problems of others.

To this end I'm discontinuing my work on Arch Linux's AUR as it doesn't help me, CPANPLUS::Dist::Arch which does most of the work, is more than capable of doing this for anyone using Arch, the packages will be orphaned. In acceptance of my exile I am removing myself from all IRC channels (though I will continue to connect) unless I have a problem, that way I do not end up causing a problem, it seems even when I have a problem and try to limit it to that I end up causing one. I am going to ask that my blog be removed from the Iron Man 'competition'. I've been told that none of the work I've done is significant anyways, and thus my loss will not be a loss at all.

I will continue working on any project that has some benefit to myself, as my time is precious and I have a life outside of Open Source. I will only do so, however, if it doesn't require me to have an opinion. There is no point in pushing for a fix that I have a workaround for already, I will simply be seen as entitled and asking too much of other peoples time.

I can't win the fight by writing patches, or by helping people by answering questions, or sharing my knowledge publicly. So I choose not to fight, I choose to accept that I am not wanted and so I will leave.