Being a long time FrontPage user and fan, I’ve come across a lot of what I refer to as “digital bigotry.” This is a condition or affliction where a person who uses and likes a particular type of software looks down on, talks down to, and ultimately thinks less of, the user of a different or competing software or technology.

I find it all the time with UNIX fans being down on Windows Server fans, it’s prevalent in the Dreamweaver vs. FrontPage debate, and you can find it in almost every arena of computing and Web development where there are two or more major players.

I’ve never understood this condition. I can tell you without a doubt that other professionals such as carpenters don’t fall victim to an analogous “tool bigotry.” They don’t care if you’re using a Milwaukee Sawzall or a Porter-Cable reciprocating saw and they’ll only look down on you if your work product deserves disdain, or if your work product doesn’t match what you say you can do. In either of those cases, you’d have it coming and it’s not really bigotry but reality.

So, why do you think digital bigotry is so prevalent? I can only imagine it’s for the same reasons that real bigotry comes into play:

First, it’s due to a lack of understanding. Many developers actually believe the line they’ve heard repeatedly such as “only newbies use FrontPage,” or “real pre press guys use InDesign, not Publisher,” etc. These are well meaning people who don’t perpetuate the fallacy maliciously but simply believe and parrot what they’ve heard over and over.

Second, and more sinisterly, I think it’s because often people take a path of least resistance to make themselves feel better about their work and their output. They try to bolster their egos by putting down others who work differently than they do. They’ve got themselves tricked into believing that if someone else is less valid, that automatically makes them and their work more valid.

Third, I think this just stems from the age-old Open Source vs. everything Microsoft, which is a more complex hornet’s nest and has many reasons for being; none of them is truly valid.

In closing, if you’re a developer, avoid this kind of digital bigotry with the same resistance you’d avoid racial or religious bigotry. If you’re the target, don’t believe it and consider the source. If you’re the perpetrator, stop. Listen to what you’re saying and think about it, give some thought to why you’re making these types of statements and look within yourself. You’re probably not the type of person who’d engage in this type of talk if the subject were skin color or religion, so you shouldn’t engage in it because of some kind of software or technology. If you’re a business owner and someone comes into your shop telling you that only professionals make Web sites with Dreamweaver, FrontPage, Notepad, etc. Avoid this person like the plague. The fact is that real professionals use the tools required for the job, the tools they feel most comfortable with, or the tools they simply have available to them. Judge each developer by the work they do not the tool they use.

Chris Leeds, MVP, WPD
Chris Leeds is a long time digital photographer and Web enthusiast.

Chris has recently developed and released a software product that allows Webmasters to create Web sites that can be edited by their clients with just a browser.

Chris also maintains and operates Northeast Digital Photo.

Chris has additionally had “Tips and Tricks” and numerous articles published, on Microsoft’s site and other locations, regarding various facets of FrontPage and recently served as a technical reviewer for the O’Reilly Press “FrontPage 2003 the Missing Manual.”

[tags]frontpage,chris leeds,contentseed,dreamweaver vs. frontpage,web development tools[/tags]