Re: this post is not off-topic
On Tuesday 04 June 2002 12:16 am, David Wright wrote:
> Maoj,
>
> Nice of you to respond. Although your response seems rather overheated, I
> think it contains the core of a argument to which I can respond, so I'm
> going to try...
>
> > We have decided to release for 11 architectures, because that
> > pleases our muse.
>
> Point 4. of http://www.debian.org/social_contract says "Our Priorities are
> Our Users and Free Software". I think even you will agree that, prima
> facie, my argument for optimizing the greatest possible user good looks
> more consistent with these priorities than your statement above.
>
> Do you really believe that the Debian community should not "worry about
> the rate of return of our effort"? Your argument seems to be that we
> should not do so, because Microsoft does so (therefore it must be bad?).
>
> I think the Debian leadership made a mistake in its decision to support
> more architectures than Debian could without negatively impacting the
> mainstream base. Amid mounting criticism from the user base, the posture
> of many of those invested in that decision has been to adopt a cabal-like
> attitude ("this is our project and we deign to let you use it") rather
> than to try to reach out to the community. Frankly, your statement above
> is exemplary in this regard. I'm afraid that route will lead use away from
> the free-for-all, inclusive Linux world toward the high quality, but
> rather austere and unfriendly BSD world.
>
> > please collect the refunds at the door.
>
> I think you are wrong to dismiss me, and so many other Debian users like
> me, out of hand. I run a large number of Debian machines, including web,
> file, directory, and email servers, and a computation cluster. I report
> bugs regularly and work with maintainers to squash them. I participate in
> debian-user. I maintain a collection (http://www.metaconsultancy.com) of
> Debian-centric whitepapers. I would be happy to maintain packages, if one
> of the ones with which I am familiar were to become orphaned. If that
> doesn't make me a member of the Debian community with a legitimate
> interest in the direction Debian takes, then Debian already is a cabal.
so your argument is that because debian isn't going in the direction that you
want, all other considerations should be abandoned? mounting criticism? you
adding your two cents to one other guy? as far as working with the
maintainers to squash bugs, you seem to have 8 active bug reports but i don't
see where you worked with the maintainers to squash bugs beyond the initial
report. your collection of debian-centric whitepapers is a collection only in
the most minimalistic definition of the word in that it consists of two basic
installation advisories that hardly show evidence of anything near the effort
that the word maintain, in the context of debian, normally implies. since,
apparently, none of the packages with which you are familiar requires your
input, it does appear that your current capacity to contribute is limited to
providing this flamebait. do you really think that this, particularly given
the rude and condescending tone you adopt, is a valid productive contribution?
ben
--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-request@lists.debian.org
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org
Reply to: