Hello, Please find my comments in-line below ...
On 04/26/2014 12:46 AM, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote: > On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 12:02 PM, Kern Sibbald <k...@sibbald.com> wrote: >> Hello, >> >> I have downloaded your pdf and find it very interesting. I have looked >> at the table of contents but not yet read it, which I will do in >> detail. Since I have worked with the FSFE since 2006, I am quite >> familiar with the GPLv2 and AGPLv3 but am very far from being an expert. > Kern: i won´t repeat the entire set of paragraphs here but i am > concerned that you are using a huge number of acronyms without any > kind of reference or context that allows people to understand what > you´re saying. without that ´reference guide´ is it actually > impossible even to deduce the meaning or intent of *entire > paragraphs*, thus throwing - and i am really not messing about here - > the *entire message* that you´ve written - into total confusion and > doubt. > > and this was achieved - quite accidentally - because you assumed that > people would know what these are: > > * APCUPSD > * Bacula > * FLA > * FSFE > > now, as it is your mistake, i am not going to do the work for you of > looking those up: it is your responsibility (now and in future) to > make your communications clear. Thanks for pointing this out, it certainly made my email incomprehensible. Yes, I assumed that everyone on this list understands those acronyms. I am sorry, I will make every effort not to do it again. In light of what you have said I must totally rethink and rewrite my email, so until I do so, there is no need to spend any time on it. Of course, if someone does want to respond on-list of off, I will be happy to continue the discussion. For the curious: APCUPSD (a free software project to integrate APC (American Power Company) UPSes (Unterruptible Power Supplies) as a Linux Daemon (service)). In short a free software project. Bacula (a free software backup and restore program) FLA (Fiduciary License Agreement) project of the Free Software Foundation where they maintain the copyright for free software projects. FSFE (Free Software Foundation Europe) > you will, however, need to make a > decision in this one-off instance, as to how to best continue what > will turn out to be a divided conversation, in at least *three* > separate ways. 1) this meta-conversation 2) an acronym clarification > conversation 3) the original conversation you *wanted* to have, which > can only truly be properly contributed to by those people who, by some > incredible coincidence, luck, or extreme effort on their part, so > desperately wish to follow the conversation or have some other motive > that they go to all the trouble of duplicating the effort of looking > up the above acronyms [now multiply that by 20,000 subscribers, bear > in mind that a *single* google search, due to the distributed nature > of the google search system, results in enough power being consumed > (world-wide) to *boil a kettle*, and you start to appreciate the > enormity of the mistake that you made by *not* including a glossary > that everyone can refer to] Yes thanks for pointing out my BIG error (said with sincerity). > > so, respectfully, i have some suggestions for people: > > if you are tempted to reply in category (1) DO NOT DO IT. DO NOT HIT > SEND. if you are tempted to hit send, return to the beginning of this > sentence and read it again. at least then you will die of old age or > world war three will start and the internet will be disconnected. > > if you are tempted to reply in category (2) and your name is not ¨Kern > Sibbald¨ DO NOT DO IT. DO NOT HIT SEND. > > any other advice i cannot give, because it is dependent on too many > variables. also, it ain´t my mess, and it ain´t my responsibility. > > basically, kern, in future, please assume that nobody knows the > acronyms, use [*1] [*2] after the first occurrence then put a list at > the bottom of the message, with either a short sentence or a URL. > references, basically. just like in scientific articles, as well as > wikipedia. > > this is actually extremely common practice on technical mailing lists, > which makes it even more surprising that it´s not on any mailing list > FAQs that i´ve seen. OK, thanks I "get it" now. > > >> This is actuality, if it is not a topic for discussion on this list, >> please tell me as I do not wish to create useless chatter on your list. > even if it is quotes Bradley´s List quotes - i doubt very much > whether he could legally claim ownership or copyright over the several > thousand email addresses that are on this list: if he tried i for one > would be Having Words with him, i would also definitely like to know > other people´s advice (and experience) on this topic, and as a) you > have raised the matter here b) it would be a significantly reduced > readership on any *other* mailing list *including* ironically one set > up specifically to discuss this and only this issue that you have > raised.... *deep breath*... > > on balance, *if* it was actually possible to ¨vote¨ (it isn´t but you > know what i mean) then i would quotes vote quotes for continuation of > this discussion here, at this time, on this list, to its recipients. Thanks. I will read the complete GPL Tutorial referenced by Bradley Kuhn. Though I have a good idea how the GPL works (the end results and consequences for the users), I as many other developers have had difficulties understanding the wording of the GPL. The key for me is the Tutorial as it explains where "sloppy readers" misread the GPL. Then I can reformulate my questions hopefully taking what you say into account. Best regards, Kern > > like those who have already chosen to add my email addresses to their > email-kill-file, they are entirely at liberty to add you or in fac, t > anyone they choose, to as many email-kill-files as they wish. > > l. >
