*sigh*
I have been resisting commenting on this thread, but I can hold back no longer... On Thu, 14 Feb 2002, rabnud wrote: > The Frustrated Newbies idea. And closure, if you wish. A corollary to Niven's Third Law for Writers: Messages to end all discussion on a given subject don't. :-) > The thread is rambling around and generally running away from my initial > idea. You might consider that there is a reason for that. :-) > I didn''t need the "RTFM", "RTFB", "Tough it out, son, I did", etc. Perhaps you did not. "RTFM" can certainly indicate laziness or elitism on the part of those who invoke it. However, I have noticed that it can also indicate that the person being told to RTFM is approaching a problem incorrectly, or trying to simplify something which is inherently complex. > Spirit of cooperation or spirit of irritation? > Innovate or stagnate? Welcome or exclude? Dichotomies, while popular in debate, are rare in reality. > Should I alienate the Linux community by asking for this? Observation: One catches more flies with honey than vinegar. Many of your postings have contained inflammatory phrasings and generally conveyed a sense of entitlement that likely aggravates many. This does not help your cause. > I''ll be watching, but no longer promoting it, since everyone goes wacky > over how I am such a slacker for not buying books. Many people enter the Linux world and discover that thousands of people have given away tons of cool software. These entrants often develop the mistaken impression that the people doing the giving do so because someone asks them to, or for the good of the community, or some such bullsh*t. That impression is generally wrong. The people who do this do so because they, *themselves*, want to. Their motivation is usually internal. The driving force is enlightened self-interest. Contrary to what ESR writes, Open Source is not a bazaar where people come together in a market of equals. It has much more in common with children building sand-castles on the beach. You are welcome to join in the fun, but nobody likes the kid who comes along and tries to tell others how to build their sand-castle. Regards, -- Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | The opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not | | necessarily represent the views or policy of any other person, entity or | | organization. All information is provided without warranty of any kind. | ***************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the text 'unsubscribe gnhlug' in the message body. *****************************************************************
