Alain: Mail filtering doesn't seem widespread. I wonder why. It's so
simple.
Uli: Well, I have to effectively pay for every message I download (I
have to pay per hour, and every additional message means another second
on the timer), and as filtering happens *after* downloading, it's not
much use anymore.
Alain: I didn't realize that it was costing something. The Internet has
not costed me a dime yet. Just lucky, I guess!
Uli: Well, we could establish a licensing list, but I'd prefer if we
kept it on existing lists. If the UFP's all right with it, it's pretty
quiet in there anyway, and it's part of the collaboration aspect which
used to be there, so I don't see anything wrong with that.
Alain: I wholeheartedly agree that the UFP List is the best venue for
discussing the licencing issue, the politics of OpenSource and, more
generally, the collaborative aspects of our endeavours. But,
incidentally, the UFP mission was not Collaboration per-se but rather
Scripting RAD Tools.
Uli: I just fear that people will not subscribe to that list...
Alain: I share your pessimism, Uli.
Uli: ...and then it'll be a decision by 10% eagerly interested in this
discussion and the remaining 90% will have to live with it. OTOH, they
*should* be on a licensing list.
Alain: Such is the case in Politics too. A minority of very involved
individuals who decide for the Majority, even in our apparently
pseudo-representative democratic systems where participation translates
into voting for a party every 4 years. It's a question of logistics,
they say. Too many people for everyone to participate directly. Which
was ... euuuh ... reasonable, until recently that is. We now have the
means to increase people's participation. Will they take advantage of
it? Or will their conditioning prevail and, consequently, they will not
participate any more than they have to date? My hope is the former. But
if they don't, they don't, and they will have to accept the decisions
taken without their participation by those that chose to get involved.
Regards
Alain Farmer
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