Mainly the minorities.....
I've noticed that it's almost always the users of "minority" OSs that get really defensive about their choice.
When I say "minority" I mean nothing other than that their OS sells less than Windows 7 - no other connotations.
Linux users seem particularly, almost franticaly, passionate about their choice, and Linux has probably the lowest penetration on the desktop of any of the "big three".
OS X users are almost as defensive, but not as noisy as Linux advocates. I note they have higher desktop penetration than Linux, but a lot less than Windows.
Hardly anyone used to shout about how wonderful XP was until Windows 7 took off. But now listen - XP fans who hate this new fangled W7 nonsense are starting to get religious about it!
It's interesting: advocates of the majority OS (which in recent years means XP or W7) will sometimes argue in its favour (usually to do with "compatible with the most widely used apps", "good long-term support", "widest choice of programmers, IT support people", etc. They may be reasonable and logical arguments, but have you noticed the lack of passion and emotion in them?
So, I think it isn't about the actual OS per se, but about a person identifying with a minority group. Such identification often leads to odd behaviour that seems disproportionate to the situation (not only Linux advocates, but opponents of a new bypass; the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (in the UK); racial, politicial or religious minorities; cyclists; motorcyclists...... the list is endless.
It seems to be a human trait.
SteveT
