On Thu, 2007-03-15 at 15:59 +0100, Julien BLACHE wrote: > Raphael Hertzog <hertzog@debian.org> wrote: > > >> Flamewars are actually fun, when done properly. > > > "Having fun in a flamewar" is not the kind of fun we need to seek. > > Because there's no reward for the project, only some self-satisfaction of > > a few individuals. > > Actually I had in mind a couple of flamewars which, at some point, > turned into something fun, and ended up on -curiosa. > > I was *not* referring to the individual fun one can have while flaming > somebody else. > > You really need to stop trying to second guess what I'm thinking. You > don't know me nearly enough to be good at that :) That is just why it is risky to flame or make fun of people that we don't know well enough to be sure of their reponse. If the target takes offence, that conversation, and maybe future interactions between those two people, will continue from a basis of dislike, even distrust. Even if the target doesn't take offence, others reading the list may decide they don't want to work with someone who's rude to his colleagues. This is poisonous to the Debian community and project. When we talk to people in real life, a huge amount of information is carried by body language and tone of voice rather than by the words we say. We need to be careful to make that tone explicit when writing email, even at the risk of being unsubtle. This is particularly important when writing in one's second language (something which I am very glad I do not have to attempt). Ben. -- Ben Hutchings Make three consecutive correct guesses and you will be considered an expert.
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