Contents

• Contents
• Introduction to v0.4
• What is FUD?
• The anatomy of FUD
  • Exaggerating your Opponent's weaknesses
  • Inventing weaknesses for your opponent that do not exist
  • ``Spinning'' your opponent's strengths to make them appear as weaknesses.
  • Promises of Future Bliss
• Distraction Techniques
  • Sandwiching.
  • ``What if?''.
  • Attacking the user.
  • Impugning the critic's motivation.
  • Fake solicitude
• Generic Strategies for dealing with FUD
  • A side excursion into the mechanisms of FUD propagation
  • A side excursion into why pointy-haired bosses rarely consult their own IS staff.
  • A Level Head
  • The Appearance of Impartiality
  • Facts
  • Spin
  • Counter-FUD
  • Dealing with FUD#4 (``Promises of Future Bliss'')
  • Dealing with FUD#3 (Spinning strength as a weakness)
  • Dealing with FUD#2 (blatant lies)
  • Dealing with FUD#1 (exaggerations)
• Common FUD used to attack Linux (and counters)
  • Support
  • Software availability
  • Long-term credibility
  • Authorship
  • Difficulty of Administration
  • Security
  • Difficulty of Use
  • Driver Support
  • Cost
• Guerilla FUD 101
  • Long-term viability
  • Long-term costs
  • Bugs and instability
  • Upgrade costs
• Conclusions
• Credits