Mary Anne > The tone of this board is extremely defensive.
I'm not sure why you use the word "defensive". In this case I feel I need to be on the "defensive" because of all the "offense" but I don't think that's what you have in mind. > Perhaps it's that sarcasm and humor don't translate well in the written word. I prefer "humour", of course! Rob Schramm's instinct was right. My post was supposed to be very light sarcasm laced with as much humour as I could muster directed at Dick Bond and only the slightest criticism - a sort- of "tut", "tut" - "indirected" at Linda Mooney. > If you want to see a friendly board where new members are welcomed and encouraged, go see IBMVM. Since VM has had a resurgence, those members patiently and comprehensively answer members questions, even the most basic newbie questions. Pity we can't do the same. Amazingly when I first got involved with IBM-MAIN a few years ago now, I found myself contributing to so many of the posts that I appeared in the top 10 of the poster count in the first or second month. (Was that some Google Groups thing that's disappeared now?) It was a bit of a freak since I can help generally only with Communications Server stuff. Then as now and all the time in between, I never found providing answers wanting. Because I keep a look out for questions on a certain topic, I subscribe to another list not too distant from IBM-MAIN (mainly z/OS even if there are some who protest otherwise!) and IBMVM. I find that list ridiculously too "matey" and sometimes I am criticised for actually explaining how a problem was solved/is to be solved rather than simply providing an answer - luddite to a fault! > ... the use of USS is not a malapropism. Try reading the post again. The "malapropism" was substituting "session" for "system". I Googled "define: malapropism" and came up with "the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar" which seems to fit the bill pretty well, wouldn't you say? That taking "mal" and twisting "apropism" to "something appropriate" sort of gets us to "misuse" so that was a bonus - but you have to allow a bit of poetic licence! > ... and the use of USS is not inappropriate within the context. Perhaps you should read my original post rather than what you might assume from what Rob Schramm thought he read through the red mist. In the sense that "USS" is understood in the context, it is appropriate. In the sense that it is assumed to be correct - as has been subsequently indicated - it is inappropriate. > Further, this is not an acronym adventuror board. I guess Dick Bond could be paying attention to this but he really needn't bother since the little furry thing has been Stakhanovite in his - or her - endeavours. > Nor should anyone really care if you spell a word wrong or use an acronym differently than someone else might expect, unless it affects the technical information. Ah, maybe you remember! > Can we not simply realize that there are two meanings for the acronym USS and deal with it? If Dick Bond had got his little explanation 100% right, we wouldn't be having this discussion. I wasn't jumping in in order to be reviving the old "USS" aunt sally. > We're humans after all, we can discover context and determine the author's intent. I'm not sure you do remember. Check the references I gave to Peter Hunkeler. > My advice to all is, if you feel yourself launching in to a diatribe, please > just delete your email, go hug your kids, take a walk, or stare at your screen saver for a while.[1] You'll live longer. I'll remember to give my grandson a hug for you when I see him next - if I can catch him and if he doesn't really deserve a spank! Incidentally I had already drafted my suggestion to Peter to find a dark room by the time I got to your post so it's not plagiarism! Chris Mason [1] There are screen savers and screen savers. A typical flavour of screen saver is a series of changing pictures. I have the same basic function as a "wall-paper" changer program which I recommend as a much superior alternative: http://www.kanasolution.com/products/kana-wallchanger/ On Sat, 12 Feb 2011 06:11:27 -0600, Mary Anne Matyaz <[email protected]> wrote: >Rob, I have to agree. The tone of this board is extremely defensive. Perhaps >it's that sarcasm and humor don't translate well in the written word. > >If you want to see a friendly board where new members are welcomed and >encouraged, go see IBMVM. Since VM has had a resurgance, those members >patiently and comprehensively answer members questions, even the most basic >newbie questions. Pity we can't do the same. > >Chris, IMHO, the use of USS is not a malapropism. According to wikipedia, a >malapropism is an inappropriate use of the word, usually causing humor. I >don't think anyone is getting any humor out of this thread, and the use of >USS is not inappropriate within the context. Further, this is not an acronym >adventuror board. Nor should anyone really care if you spell a word wrong or >use an acronym differently than someone else might expect, unless it affects >the technical information. > >Can we not simply realize that there are two meanings for the acronym USS >and deal with it? We're humans after all, we can discover context and >determine the author's intent. We're not Watson playing Jeapordy, after all. > >My advice to all is, if you feel yourself launching in to a diatribe, please >just delete your email, go hug your kids, take a walk, or stare at your >screen saver for a while. You'll live longer. > >Have a nice weekend everyone. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
