On Tue, 2003-01-07 at 19:02, Robin Turner wrote: > 1. Banter about Star Trek. You're bound to get that sooner or later > on any geeky list - it's just the way we are! > > 2. Arguments about American politics and the incipient war in the > Middle East. I agree that this is totally OT, but on the other hand, > there is a war about to start. Personally I'd rather find out about > what my fellow Mandrake users think about a war that has the potential > to kill me than read about configuration problems for hardware I don't > have.
Excellent point, Robin. We are all human beings, first and foremost, not computer systems. Human life should be valued above all else, perhaps even above the topic of the mailing list. You can have the best damn list advice in the world, but if you are choking and expiring on the floor from radioactive mustard gas or anthrax spores, the advice doesn't mean much of a shite. A little myopia can be good for mental focus; a lot just plain makes you blind. > Let's keep the OT problem in proportion. 90% of on-topic posts are of > little or no interest to me, because I don't have the problem they are > describing and can't answer it. I accept this, because this is a > general Mandrake list, not a list for people who have the same > hardware and software interests as me. I also accept that there will > be a number of OT posts which also do not interest me. > > Sir Robin > True again. One thing about this list that has always been attractive to me is how it allows the individuals to be individuals. CMG was describing a mailing list to me not too long ago that required all posts be screened by a moderator before they were released to the list. Now that's beyond Nazi; that's just plain nuts. When I reflect on the merits of this list and that one, to me it looks like the difference between a dictatorship and a democracy. I think that most everybody here being adult, we all have the right to make judgements about what to post and what not to post, and what the list is all about. Most of the time, after the emotions are played out, the crew here gets right back to the business at hand, most of the time with much greater enthusiasm as before; probably because they've finally pulled the corncob out of their @ss and it's not distracting them any more. Sometimes an OT conflict will pull new members right in out of the woodwork, or reawaken list members that were dozing off. Everybody on the list has the desire and maturity to stay on task when needed, that's not the real problem. The real problem is that they are not given the credit for having the desire and maturity to stay on task, before the OT's are attacked. Instead of handling the OT's in a more mature manner; which is to let the OT's dump the heart baggage, positive or negative, and get it out in the open. Even with the conflict, and perhaps because of it, this list is one of the best examples of "government" by public anarchy that I've ever seen. --LX -- 같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같� Kernel 2.4.18-6mdk Mandrake Linux 8.2 Enlightenment 0.16.5-11mdk Evolution 1.0.2-5mdk Registered Linux User #268899 http://counter.li.org/ 같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같�
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