Hans Fugal wrote:
Mister E wrote:
NOTE: If you can get through my *designed to frustrate English majors
on purpose email communication style*, then you must have grit worth
considering, within a wide range of purposes and/or levels of interface.
You must realize that you annoy or frustrate not only English majors,
but the majority of hackers. Hackers tend to be very meticulous about
language (you have to be to spend your life writing programs in computer
languages with strict syntax), and therefore bad grammar and spelling
grates on us. Some more than others, and some tolerate it more than
others (hence the grammar nazi flamewars).
But you must do what you think is best, of course.
I'm back from my quasi vacation. Hence the delay in responding to this
thread, in which I usually just ignore all the bull crap you see in such
posts. I don't mean to direct this at you personally Hans per se, but
instead at the content of the various flames and comments based on my
post. But I'm sure that the intent will be lost at some point, much
like my post.
I'm Sorry. I should have added a little more to those comments for
better understanding as to why I poke fun of correct language useage.
The English major jest started as just that, a jest. When I was dating
my wife, I pulled the redneck routine for fun, more so than normal
whenever I wrote any kind of note to her. She took it all in stride.
Thereafter, it became a bit more natural for me to use the style in
informal circles. I've also used "it" over the years in such things as
emails and other areas, such as this list. My moniker is "Mister Ed",
so the shoe fits, so to say.
In regards to offending or annoying the majority of hackers, I don't see
any basis for this argument outside of a few members of the local
technical talent pool. I've been hanging with hackers, and tracking
cracker bad boys, for over 25 years world wide (geezz, maybe that makes
me a hacker too? I seemed to have been sneered at as being someone
outside that category). I've never had an issue fitting in as "being
myself" until I recently joined PLUG this last summer. I see this type
of comment as nothing more than an excuse for a few people in this group
to be intoloerant, arrogant and condescending. Hackers tend to be
non-conformers that think outside the box and/or look for ways to
improve a technical situation, whatever aspects that situation might entail.
My post was an offer of an opportunity for folks that want
additional experience in programming without a huge hassle found with
obtaining a formal job (though I did extend formal positions in some
cases). Another target for the post could have been those that just
wanted to contribute to and/or improve our humble OSS project. However,
it turned into a thread containing some lame excuses for a few select
individuals to treat me like some sort of inferior person. I'm sure if
I had rattled off about having multiple degrees from top edu
institutions and maybe done a bit more company name dropping (companies
I've worked for), maybe I'd get some "wow factor" generated on my behalf
(don't really care to nor do I need it personally though, so I haven't
done so). I have dealings that extend into fields and professions that
require (somewhat) that I keep a lower public profile, so I'd prefer not
to post my resume publicly in order impress a few select people that
don't deserve such consideration, especially after the three fiascos
I've encountered while posting to this group in the past 6 months.
Additionally, I don't subscribe to the idear of acting like I'm a
borg-like programmer residing in a massive sea of bland looking
cubicles, nor to the showing off of academic prowess in an informal
setting such as this. Personally. I prefer to keep my acedemic thesis
writ limited to those papers I submit to professors and acedemic
journals during my "tours of duty" that I embark upon from time to
time... ie when I collect another hanging dust collector for my wall
(official paper thingy indicating I'm edjew-mah-kated and smarter than
my twin brother named bubbagum).
Despite all this, and do not get me wrong from the above comments, I do
enjoy reading the advice and posts from most of the people on this list.
There are too many people to list that I like (probably 96% of ya'all
- this includes you Hans), as I'd most likely leave a few out by
accident. I also like going to the meetings when I am able to attend.
This is the main reason I haven't left PLUG and gone back into the
woodwork from whence I came, like some folks have done the past few
months. So ... to those that can handle 3-12 redneck words in my posts,
thanks! To those in between, I can look at toning it down... maybe. BUT
to those that are full of negativity and/or flame me or other peeps
nearly every single time they post ... get real, get a clue and lose the
lemming suit (or maybe just lose the condescending, arrogant and
intolerant attributes, and that will be a very good start - for those
that have such a problem).
Mister Ed ... of course ... of course!
PS - For those that expressed an interest in helping out on our humble
OSS project, many thanks. If considering to contribute, please do. And
finally, if ya got lost in the translation, sorry it didn't work out.
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