-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Robert C Wittig wrote: > Loyal Barber wrote: > >> Gary, >> There are lots of people who care about top posting, me included. If >> to you as you say it is really no big deal, then it would be pretty >> simple for you to put your post at the end where it belongs. Many >> of the folks from whom you might want help are reading this in pine >> or some other text based email program. Furthermore, if you post >> using Yahoo instead of "reply" on your email editor, you will find >> that Yahoo does put you after the original automatically. Please >> be considerate of others and follow a simple, common set of rules. >> >> Thanks, >> Loyal >> >> > > This used to be referred to as 'AOL Syndrome'... > > The newbies sign onto ISP's, and after a while cruising the Web, decide > to join a technical newsgroup of some sort, like Linux. > > Not bothering to read the FAQ, or reading it but not caring to heed what > it says, the newbies decide that 1) The technical list is a 'help > desk' of some sort, that their ISP's monthly fee has paid for, and they > are entitled to prompt and obedient service for the people who > developed the list, and 2) ...that the list is a Democracy, in which all > participants' opinions are equal... that the newest newbie's opinion, > how to operate a technical list is just as valid, and carries just as > much weight, as the opinions of the founding members of the list. > > Because the newbies outnumber the more experienced members, usually by a > factor of 10 or more, even if only 2 in 10 of the newcomers choose to > rewrite the rules, to suit their individual preferences, it is enough to > compromise the usefulness of the list. > > Then the old-timers become frustrated, and stop offering support to the > newbies, because the 'new rules' are not conducive to efficient > communication, and because they are tired of being treated like waiters > and busboys, who exist solely to 'serve up' information 'on demand'. > > You wind up with a list where newbies are the only ones offering other > newbies any technical advice, and the advice being offered is > considerably less accurate than was the case when the old-timers were > actively running the show. > > This is the 'Democratic Classroom' in action, where the students, the > teaching assistants, and the professors all have an equal, democratic > vote, what is the correct answer. > > Computing demands that the 'right answers' actually work, though... not > that they are simply the 'most popular answers', by group consensus. > > This leaves the newbies in a position where they no longer have to > bother asking the old-timers any questions, and the old-timers no longer > have to bother explaining anything to newbies. > > Instead, newbies can RTFM, Google, and learn from trial and error... > > ...or not. > >
Well Robert, I didn't resist the temptation to add a comment, not related to the main issue of that discussion, but the "AOL syndrome" is what has suffered the public sector (government) of Mexico, because of a new law, anyone now is able to enter the government, the vast majority of the newcomers are "newbees" in the public sector, but anyway they are trying to set their own rules... the result is that the experts in "public administration" has quit the government and working somewhere else. I apologize for my not related comment, but thanks for read it. Silver -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFF8zQbgSoA/Y1YuRYRAr2AAJoDeKfkCRzL/krfWyem+Rd9SuX8RwCfZyiC FBvVxIIvQq6EYV6XsrfHGqE= =rQV5 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Great things are happening at Yahoo! Groups. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/lOt0.A/hOaOAA/yQLSAA/0XFolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this list, please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] & you will be removed. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
