[wplug] GNU/Linux ?

Jonathan S Billings billings at negate.org
Wed Feb 18 11:50:18 EST 2004


On Wed, 2004-02-18 at 10:57, Vanco, Don wrote:

> 	No - to please the people that are here to discuss Linux.  Ugh.
> Perhaps I'm just tired of the "sensitivity" required by modern society, but
> I am of the opinion that these folks can just go elsewhere - if they're too
> stupid to know that a Linux group isn't the best place to ask for help
> they're likely 1) too stupid to be running the software in the first place
> and 2) too stupid to know what to do with the help you offer them.  Civility
> is one thing, pandering to the lazy is another.

To be honest, it's that kind of attitude we've been trying to eliminate
from the list.  We've seriously brought up having a "newbie" mailing
list separate from the main one, but that would basically put all the
clueless folks on one list and the non-clueless on another list, and
then they'd never learn.  Also, it doesn't foster a sense of community.

> 	Hell, over half the (legitimate) questions that have been posted by
> noobs in the last year were answered within the first 3 hits on Google -
> they can't even do that, much less crack a manual.
> 	I'm an old guy, and longevity on the 'Net has therefore made me
> bitter, made me grow weary of those that can't fathom appropriate list usage
> ("me toos", "thank yous", "hey wasn't that SPAM funny!?!", top posting, off
> topic crap, etc, etc, etc) - and lists that lack focus or management.  I'm a
> dinosaur in a world where computing power is ever more being put into the
> hands of bottom feeding idiots, so (fortunately for you, dear reader) I'm
> very likely to wither and pass on, the whole time railing, railing at "the
> state of things", than to see a "smartening" of the computing / Internet
> world at large.
> 
> 	Wow.  That was fun.

I run across a lot of idiots where I work, and I end up having to answer
simple questions that could easily be answered with a man page or a
quick internet search.  I know I sometimes hate seeing the stupid
questions on the list, but rather than wish they weren't posted, I just
ignore them, let other people answer them, or wait until my patience
returns.  

Referring to the list-members as 'bottom-feeding idiots' is a good way
of getting yourself banned.

> > It's my observation that this fine organization that calls itself
> > "WPLUG" has become more of an Open Source Society than focused on
> > GNU/Linux foo. 
> 	And that, IMHO, is the results of poor group/list management......

I think you are wrong.  The fact that the list has opened itself up to a
wider range of people and software applications just shows how well the
list is doing.

-- 
Jonathan S Billings <billings at negate.org>




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