Gary, > This list is for the people by the people and if we as a > whole want to allow > off topic conversations, then we should allow it. If not, we shouldn't. Actually this is a list that is hosted, operated and paid for by Mandrake. They set it up and contribute to it for the purpose of helping people use Linux. It is not a democratic forum. That the management at Mandrake hasn't taken people off the list (I could be wrong about that but haven't seen much evidence to suggest it) suggests they are okay with the list being used to discuss other matters. I respect that decision but I would respect them just as much if they were to remove people who consistently ignored the list's charter. > Either way, we need to remain respectful of each other and not let our > emotions get the best of us. I've seen several postings come through that > were nothing more than attacks on other members of the list. That > is uncalled > for. Totally agree with that. > We all have (or at least we all should have) a delete key > as well as most of > us have filters that can block messages (to some extent) that we > don't wish > to receive. I don't mind receiving emails about other topics. I > joined the > list to offer assistance on any subjects that I am familiar with > as I have > often struggled with Linux over the last 18 months since my first > installation. I have worked through a lot of problems and have > had along the > way and I'd like to help others. But that help doesn't have to end with > Linux. We are all human. We all feel pain, sorrow, loss, etc. > Most of us feel > very bad about what happened recently and the impact that the events will > have on the families directly affected as well as our nation and > the world. > We need to be able to express ourselves when the need arises > without worrying > about which list we are posting too or whether the topic is > relevant. If I > receive a post that I don't care about, I can hit the delete key and it's > gone, end of story (I don't as I always keep everything just in > case I want > to refer back). > I suggest that before anyone gets offended to the poing of > leaving the list, > we have a show of hands, or in this case a show of posts as to > who wants to > allow other postings, and who does not. I'll start by saying that I am in > favor of allowing off topic postings as long as they do not flood > the list. A > few here and there don't hurt anything. We are here for Mandrake > Linux but > there are other things to life and sometimes we need to discuss > those other > things. I have pretty much the same feelings except that at this point I think the WTC-threads have gone way over the line in terms of volume. I understand and agree with your point about wanting to discuss things with people you know and trust. It seems to me that it would be more productive and less noisy to use another list (like the one civileme setup on Yahoo's eGroups) for that purpose. You wouldn't have so many people complaining and you could actually get to the heart of the matter instead of defending your right to post here. Just a thought. I'll be using my delete button in the meantime. ::mark
Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
