Re: [abcusers] abc compliant software

[Bryancreer]

Frank Nordberg said -

>Hi Bryan - I had begun to wonder if you were on a vacation trip or something.

Hi Frank- no, but after Phil Taylor's descent into puerile personal abuse and
the subsequent failure of anyone else to tick him off for breach of etiquette
I decided I'd had enough for a while and there's only so much you can say to
people who don't want to listen.  It is only the value I place on abc and the
belief that there are some sensible people on this list that brings me back.

>Do you mean poor John is supposed to offer free personal tutoring to
>anybody who wants to write ABC? John has given a lot of good advice on
>the subject both here at abcusers and on his web site, so I don't think
>you should criticize him for that.

and Wendy Galovich said -

>I'll add my voice to Frank's on this one. John's contributions of ideas and
>help both on and off list have been invaluable. Thanks John!

I utterly agree.  John's tune finder is invaluable and he is the source of
excellent advice both on this list and through his website.  He contributes
some excellent ideas for the development of abc which he generally posts for
discussion on the list before implementing them rather than presenting them
as fait accompli.  Apart from some slightly odd interpretations of my views  
(I've never believed there was a conspiracy of developers, John) he has been
invariably polite in his dealings with me.

All of which makes his negativity towards www.irishnet.com and his antagonism
against abc2win all the more surprising.  I don't expect him to give free
personal tutoring but if he'd put as much effort into being positive as he
has into his recent negativity it might have been more use.  I presume that
the developers of www.irishnet.com are unpaid volunteers and Jim Vint is
hardly profiteering with abc2win nor is their intent likely to be
deliberately malicious.  Don't they deserve more respect?

>>
>> but do many of the developers care or
>> are they
>> only interested in their own "extensions to"/"gratuitous violations
>> of" the
>> standard regardless of the affect on anybody else?

>The latter, I'm afraid. Can't really blame them, though. After all most
>of them are doing this programming for fund - and for free.

This really strikes at the point I've been trying to make all this time.  I
said some time ago that just because developers were working for free that
didn't give them the right to dictate to others, either developers or users.  
Their software is their own but abc is communal property; it calls for a
cooperative approach.  The V: command provides an excellent example.  A great
idea that different developers went off and implemented in different ways
before agreeing on a common standard.  I doubt if it will ever become part of
the standard now since quite a few people will have to back down and change
their software.

>You forgot to mention gender, though.

Mea Culpa.  Laura has already compared (her interpretation of) my views to
male chauvinism.

>Why is Laura the only profilic *female* abcuser?

I genuinely have no idea.  Is it true?

>unsubscribe messages

Totally unjustified speculation, but I couldn't resist it.

Bryan Creer

(My spellchecker offers abusers and accusers for abcusers.  How delightful.)