Some things about the recent thread: 1. The big bright line over which one should not cross on the 313 list is this: No personal attacks, no threats of violence. I shouldn't think that's controversial.
2. I make no pretensions of impartiality as a system administrator. Impartiality you only get if you pay for it, and this is a volunteer position. I am friends in real life with a lot of people here, including Tom Cox. Anyone I know who gets obnoxious is likely going to get the benefit of the doubt from me. Anyone I don't know probably won't. I don't claim to be impartial, but I really try to be fair. 3. I don' t want to shut down or shape discussion on the list. That's never been what the 313 list has been about. I don't want to ban people from the list either -- that's only happened 3 or 4 times in the 14-odd years of 313. But I don't think personal attacks should be a part of the list, ever. If you can't make your point without insulting someone, well, you're not really making your point are you? Be a little more creative. 4. If I was to take a vote, judging by my e-mails, Tom Cox is not a popular figure on the list. Maybe I do give him a free pass because I've hung out with him, know his wife etc. But Tom at least cools his sh*t when I ask him. If I ask someone to back off, and I get attitude, it really gets up my nose. 5. If you disagree with someone, you should use that disagreement as a means to refine your expression of your own opinion. If you're mad because of something he says, channel it into wit, not vitriol. Your anger means very little in this context; your ability to clearly write what you think and feel is everything. And everyone should remember: the Internet is forever. Everyone on this list is going to be living with the stuff they write on it for the rest of their lives. If someone makes you mad, your best revenge is to think about the day he or she gets googled twenty years from now and they look like a tool.
