The "reality distortion field", "fanboys", etc, mostly BS from people trying to justify being cheapskates, or feeling some envy for others that can afford more expensive gear"
I agree that it's BS but I don't think the reason is mostly about envy or cheapness. I believe it's about feeling superior for not using the expensive trendy thing. It's a way of saying "I'm good at my job and more skilled than you are which is why a MacBook is beneath me. I prefer the Linux machine because I'm one of the elites who knows how to really use it".
People are just religious about their OS, even the ones who claim not to be and go off on diatribes about whatever gear being too expensive or just trendy. I'm a Mac and Xubuntu user who has recently been forced to develop on Windows while at work and I can say that beauty is important and the Mac exudes beauty. Win7 is decent too. But I bring it up because as a user of all 3 OSes I'll often get asked what I develop on. Instead of explaining in detail how I use all 3 at different times and appreciate each for their specific upsides I'll usually just say "Mac" or "Linux". No matter which I choose to say though the person asking usually always says "oh, how come you don't use Mac, it's all Unixy but pretty and easy" or "Why aren't you using Linux? Are you a fanboy or need your hand held to use a computer?". In all of these cases it's obvious the person has a superiority complex about their choice of platform.
And there's a hierarchy of how people think they're superior for using whichever one with Windows at the bottom:
If you use Windows, well, people just like to hate on Windows (and I personally don't blame them but I can still see why some like it).
The Mac users talk shit about Windows users because they believe they're part of an elite club full of design-minded hipsters. Web dev Mac users will add that Windows sucks for development (which it kind of does unless you're deploying to a full MS stack).
Linux users look down on both Mac and Windows users. They'll say the Mac users prefer form over function, need their hand held, don't like to control their PC (implies lack of skill), and are just following trends. They'll say much of the same about Windows with some added remarks about MS being the devil (as it pertains to FOSS).
No matter what one says about the other I think it's all about superiority. People justify their choice of technology by making themselves believe their choice is the best. They tend to ignore the fact that people have certain personal preferences, different use cases, and different backgrounds when making these criticisms. Developers especially will tend to think every other developer has a similar workflow and is working with the same technologies, therefor their choice of platform is what everyone else should use because "I get shit done more efficiently with this so if others don't that means they're somehow less skilled than me". Envy and money no doubt do play some role but I think it plays a smaller role than you say it does.
I agree that it's BS but I don't think the reason is mostly about envy or cheapness. I believe it's about feeling superior for not using the expensive trendy thing. It's a way of saying "I'm good at my job and more skilled than you are which is why a MacBook is beneath me. I prefer the Linux machine because I'm one of the elites who knows how to really use it".
People are just religious about their OS, even the ones who claim not to be and go off on diatribes about whatever gear being too expensive or just trendy. I'm a Mac and Xubuntu user who has recently been forced to develop on Windows while at work and I can say that beauty is important and the Mac exudes beauty. Win7 is decent too. But I bring it up because as a user of all 3 OSes I'll often get asked what I develop on. Instead of explaining in detail how I use all 3 at different times and appreciate each for their specific upsides I'll usually just say "Mac" or "Linux". No matter which I choose to say though the person asking usually always says "oh, how come you don't use Mac, it's all Unixy but pretty and easy" or "Why aren't you using Linux? Are you a fanboy or need your hand held to use a computer?". In all of these cases it's obvious the person has a superiority complex about their choice of platform.
And there's a hierarchy of how people think they're superior for using whichever one with Windows at the bottom:
If you use Windows, well, people just like to hate on Windows (and I personally don't blame them but I can still see why some like it).
The Mac users talk shit about Windows users because they believe they're part of an elite club full of design-minded hipsters. Web dev Mac users will add that Windows sucks for development (which it kind of does unless you're deploying to a full MS stack).
Linux users look down on both Mac and Windows users. They'll say the Mac users prefer form over function, need their hand held, don't like to control their PC (implies lack of skill), and are just following trends. They'll say much of the same about Windows with some added remarks about MS being the devil (as it pertains to FOSS).
No matter what one says about the other I think it's all about superiority. People justify their choice of technology by making themselves believe their choice is the best. They tend to ignore the fact that people have certain personal preferences, different use cases, and different backgrounds when making these criticisms. Developers especially will tend to think every other developer has a similar workflow and is working with the same technologies, therefor their choice of platform is what everyone else should use because "I get shit done more efficiently with this so if others don't that means they're somehow less skilled than me". Envy and money no doubt do play some role but I think it plays a smaller role than you say it does.