This is all very helpful, but, honestly, I'd like us to move past this whole conversation.
Want to rant or complain? Go to brlug-poly. Want to ask or answer technical questions? Go to brlug-general. If you post to brlug-general anything like a rant or begin battering Microsoft, Linux, another member, whatever, then you will be temporarily dropped from the list. That's it. So, let's just close this out. Thanks. --- Puryear Information Technology, LLC Baton Rouge, LA * 225-706-8414 http://www.puryear-it.com Author of "Best Practices for Managing Linux and UNIX Servers" Download your free copy: http://www.puryear-it.com/bestpractices.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Tortorich" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <General at brlug.net> Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:22 PM Subject: Re: [brlug-general] New List - politics at brlug.net > Alan wrote: > >>You may find this comes back and bites you in the backside, although I >>hope not. (Blake, not you specifically - it was just your post I >>selected to reply to.) I enjoy the banter, occasional duels, and what I >>perceive as an overriding camaraderie. >> >> > Agreed. I saw a similar thing happen with the LSU-ITINFO mailing list, > although its not a perfect analogy. Basically they made it to where no > one could discuss their mighty informative mass emails, even though we > all know OCS is FAR from infallible. As a result, it sucked, and I never > paid much attention to it after that (NOTICE: Our security is > unbelievably bad.... NOTICE: Our mail servers suck...booooring). For me > it was a forum to stick one to 'the man' at LSU and point out to them > when they just seemed lazy and were unwilling to discuss the reasoning > behind stuff (case in point, STILL blocking ALL ICMP to/from campus, > instead of filtering). They created an IT-FORUM for those of us who > wanted to actually discuss things, but of course no one joined but the > zealots, and I will bet not many will actually join the BRLUG-politics > one, or not enough to get anything interesting going. People are lazy, > myself included. And I also find that people dont like to argue without > an "audience" to interject occasionally. There has to be critical mass. > > I think the distinction has to be made between arguments about Microsoft > vs linux TECHNOLOGY (not just this microsoft, but lets face it, it is > prevalent) which is appropriate, I think, even if they get flamey, and > Microsoft vs. Linux politics arguments, which most of us agree are > inappropriate for this list regardless of flame levels. Let me explain > why, at least from my perspective. > > Im a technology person. Microsoft's business policies interest me about > as much as Citygroup's, or any other huge company. Dont care at all. I > have learned that companies are not nice, on a whole. Even if you think > they are, they arent They all try to seem nice, so that you will not > hate them, but they just want to make endless sums of money for their > investors. I have a BS in Management from Tulane. What did it teach me? > I dont want to be involved in business at that level. Makes me feel > dirty. Dont care about bill, dont care about ESR, dont care about Theo > > To illustrate my point, I admit Microsoft is evil and I really just dont > care, but I do care about the quality of thier products. To further my > example, I also ride bikes. I dont care if Bianchi is a responsible bike > company, I just like thier frames. So sure, bash a Microsoft PRODUCT. I > may even defend it, becasue I have worked with it for years and there > are some things I like about it. Want to talk NTFS permissions vs. the > linux persmissions model? Lets do it. Talk to me about how microsoft > hates google? Dont care in the least, thats why we have that other > group. A tech argument can be backed up with hands on experience with > the product. I dont want people to be afraid of bashing a MS product n > this list for fear of being "political". I dont think thats political , > as long as you back it up with something other than "Cuz micr$oft sucks > and linux is free". Which you can. A ton of people on this list are > smart and knowledgable and dont need to reasort to that. > > There is one other major another problem, prevalent even among tech > discussions - personal attacks. We are all supposedly adults - can't we > all just hit a bong, er, get along? The non-anti-microsoft people and > the anti-microsoft people I think can drop the personal attacks. Right > guys? Its not that hard. Don't direct your posts at a person, but rather > the thread, if possible. Dont post with the intent of pising the other > person off (I think we are all guilty of that one - I know I am). Dont > call people names. Just post what you think about the product or tech > item being discussed, and try to be as polite as you would if we were > all in a room together, where to open your mouth and smart off could > possibly get you popped in said mouth by someone larger and/or crazier > than you. Common consideration. Playground rules. I think we can do it =) > > Just my 2 cents. Thoughts? Expletives? > > Chris > > _______________________________________________ > General mailing list > General at brlug.net > http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net > >
