Yet the knee-jerk attitude is often that the other side is wrong, clueless, misguided and naive (just like in the political culture wars).

Instead of taking an us-vs.-them attitude and constantly bashing the other side, we should all strive to understand that both viewpoints are equally valid, and that people are just approaching technology from a different set of perspectives and values.

We should be united in demanding that new technologies, platforms and products satisfy both camps -- providing power and flexibility for the geeks, and simplicity and elegance for the noobs.

That's something I think we all can agree on.

writes about technology and tech culture. You can contact Mike and learn more about him at , or subscribe to his free email newsletter, . You can also .