Re: What is Debian-User for? (Was: Re: What is GnuPG UID for?)
On Sat, May 10, 2003 at 06:11:19PM -0700, Vineet Kumar wrote:
> * Soren Andersen (somian@adelphia.net) [030510 11:07]:
> > If this was a low-volume List, it might not matter much. But in fact it
> > is one of the highest-volume Lists I have ever seen, and OT inquiries
> > suck away a precious resource: the attention of knowledgeable Debian
> > GNU/Linux users (experts) who are needed by other Debian GNU/Linux users
> > to get help with their Debian systems.
> Well, I feel it's appropriate to point out that the original question
> was far less distracting than this tirade. Loosen up; it didn't hurt
> anyone, and the question was in fact platform agnostic.
I don't think I shall "loosen up", thank you. And I'll try to be helpful
by observing up fron that whenever I am told to "loosen up" or stop
posting opinions about a particular topic, or subjected to
finger-waggling 3rd-party admonitions about my tone, or anything of that
sort, I always *increase* my volume and frequency of posting of those
sorts of articles. In brief, I *never* post opinions of this sort
without thinking carefully first, and then I am *committed* to the views
I've expressed. Not out of mere egotism but because I find it necessary
to my sense of well-being to reject shallow views and barking-dog sorts
of criticisms that have no "thunk" (as in: that person _really_ "thunk"
about it before s/he posted that reply) behind them.
In short, to condense the preceding paragraph into a one-line soundbite
acceptable to those with an allergy to thorough, reasoned discourse: I
am a major a**hole -- how could you have known? -- but now you do -- and
I recommend you keep that in mind.
I've read your response, which seemed far more a waste of time than my
article, as it didn't make more than a half-hearted attempt to disprove
my basic theorem: that over the long term, OT diversions of this List's
resources (human resources) will be harmful.
The point not addressed at all by your reply was that GnuPG has its
*own* support system in the form of Mailing Lists, etc. IMO it is
_great_ if Debian-Users can be a "one-stop shopping" location _for_
_Users_ _of_ _Debian_ to ask about the installation, configuration and
use of the many Free Software packages on their systems, and I have
certainly used it that way myself thus far. It is a lot of extra effort
to get access to as many Mailing Lists as exist for as many packages as
I always seem to be struggling with, and it's great that Debian-User can
be a quicker source for help on them.
> The OP having pointed out that he was using windows was no more or
> less appropriate than anyone else's "X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook"
> header.
Rejected as false. There are many occasions in which users of Debian and
those who want pre-installation advice and support would be using a MUA
on M$Windows to send to this List. That's a straw-man argument or
something. This user shamelessly described the fact that he is using
GnuPG on Windows, and that's a completely different thing from using
Windows to post to Debian-Users about using some software on Debian.
If this is what you can muster in the way of ability to do logic, I'll
have to hope I never come across any of your code.
> I see where you're coming from on this, but I think that this mission to
> half-assedly moderate this list is, well, half-assed, and, frankly, a
> waste of time. Far bigger a waste of time than the occasional OT post.
And, again, I see your reply as more half-assed by half than any
reasonable interpretation of my statements would lend itself to. In what
manner -- by what mechanism -- could I be characterized as trying to
"moderate" this List? That's absurd. I merely expressed an opinion --
surely I have an unquestioned right to do that -- about a point of view
concerning the use of the List itself. As the poster before me did. His
-- and your -- messages take up just as much screen real-estate in
mutt's message-list view as my single posting did (regardless of the
length I mean). The use of filters to manipulate the visibility of
messages isn't something I am up to speed on yet -- I've had 15 other
fires to put out on three different Debian installations (recent) first
-- and I submit that making more noise by telling people to "stop making
noise about noise" is making you look like the larger fool than anyone
else. What I suggest is that you tend to your own filters, from here on
out, and if you find my lengthy messages burdensome to plow through,
then ... well, I think you already stated yourself what the prescription
for that is.
Soren Andersen
--
See my OpenPGP key at https://savannah.gnu.org/people/viewgpg.php?user_id=6050
GnuPG public key fingerprint | "Only when efforts to reform society have as
BD26 A5D8 D781 C96B 9936 | their point of departure the reformation of
310F 0573 A3D9 4E24 4EA6 | the inner life -- human revolution -- will
they lead us with certainty to a world of lasting peace and true human security."
-- Daisaku Ikeda
Reply to: