I visited a LUG meeting in Biloxi, MS in the mid-90s, mostly out of curiosity. I had just been forced to convert from MS-DOS to Windows 3.0, had heard about Linux from an acquaintance, and wanted to know about the alternatives. I apparently chose the wrong night to attend...

When the over-40 me started asking basic questions about the operation and construction of Linux, the room full of 20-somethings and teenagers essentially told me to rtfm. The most obnoxious and officious of the little twits even asked why I was there when it wasn't beginners' night. I didn't consider Linux again for over 10 years; I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I can do condescending as well as some (and better than most), but it's unfortunate for Linux today that some of the same obnoxious 20-somethings and teenagers that made up the Linux community 15-20 years ago still seem to be around, and still have the same attitudes towards beginners.