On Sunday 19 November 2006 12:06, Patrick Shanahan wrote: > imnsho, this is a *petty* argument from both sides.
I agree that it *is* petty for someone to post an inaccurate, unwarranted and OT political smear in a technically oriented list and thread. IMHO, it is *not* petty to clarify the record by supplying first-hand knowledge which refutes the smear. ... > The origin of the internet, much before 1988, was for US military and > acadamic collaboration which was difficult to disrupt. That's right. As the article stated, Al Gore never claimed to "invent" the Internet, which is the derisive myth spun by the far right to smear Al Gore's character for political purposes. > The 1988 "Act" was merely another step forward in the internet evolution > where many *unmentioned* individuals participated, and continue to do so, > with much greater impact than the "Act". Al Gore sponsored (i.e. "championed" or "spearheaded") that legislation, Patrick. He didn't just "participate." Why do people persist in trying to minimize this contribution? And it wasn't just a "mere step" like some obscure legislative technical clarification, it was a *national initiative* to interconnect our universities and libraries on a shared network. That's a significant milestone, period. And the 1992 Information Infrastructure and Technology Act that Al Gore cosponsored four years later actually opened that same network to commercial traffic. The fact is, he was exploring and promoting these technology opportunities well before the majority of his peers in government. > This is _not_ addressed _at_ ken only... > > Why is it necessary to discuss politics in a technical forum, > especially when a forum, suse-ot, was specifically created for those > non-technical discussions deemed necessary by some? > > Join the suse-ot list and continue ad infinitum We've participated on OT discussions there many times, haven't we? > And PLEASE take the Novell-M$ contract discussion there tooooooo! I agree. This entire thread including tangents belongs on OT. regards, Carl -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
