[Novalug] [Fwd: Delivery status notification] -- Mailman probably down

[Gerald.K.Williams@verizon.net]

While I'm a top complainer on the list,
and maybe not as technical as most,
as disabled and not working, and really
not able to work, especially how I'm feeling
after a full day out and little sleep
(read woke up on the wrong side of the bed today,
so pounds of salt needed)...

We started discussing the volume of the NOVALUG
mailings and Bryan in particular last night
after the DCLUG presentation.

My feeling is that the volume of messages has
gone way up after Bryan joined, and I can't
fault him for being active, but the atttitude,
and now "why don't you like what I'm doing"
feels a little like holding the list hostage
for something we didn't ask for in the first place.

Bryan may have a wealth of knowledge on technical
matters, but there still is an apropos and community
feel that has changed recently.

Hobbyists and newbies are attacked for not being
professional, and I have really problems with that,
as someone trained in counseling.

And one complainer (getting cast as a complainer
is not flattering either) deciding / voting
(are we now a democracy, I had the impression
this was a meritocracy, those that know and do
get to decide, the rest be damned), so while
I'm vocal about the tone and how new people
and people like myself, disabled and not
being paid for linux off list are treated,
I'll have to object to what has been going on
recently.

It doesn't have to be a social list, which
gets put down so much, in recent postings,
but to assume everyone appreciates
being put down, or confused with multitudes
of options, or being played for the ego
of a few, is absurd, and needs to be pointed
out explicitly...



On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 06:57:51AM -0400, Michael Henry wrote:
> On 10/21/2009 03:05 PM, Bryan J. Smith wrote:
> > I make the same promise to everyone.  If they find me annoying to
> > the point that just one person doesn't want me on a list, I stop posting
> > to the list and just help people off-list.  It's that simple.
> 
> Ironically, of all Brian's postings so far, this is just about
> the only one with which I'd disagree :-)
> 
> This is only my own opinion, and I of course respect Brian's
> right to decide when to stop posting.  However, I think it's
> giving too much power to any one complainer to make such an
> absolute offer to leave a public list.  For me, the biggest
> value of a list like this is in the technical postings.  Many
> such postings are simply unassailable fact and are objectively
> valuable on that basis.  Others are based on opinion; I'd argue
> that their value is a function of several things, including the
> poster's experience level, his record of being correct, the
> verifiability of the information, and so on.  But even heavily
> opinion-based postings are often valuable merely because they
> cause readers to think about the issue themselves.
> 
> Stating technical opinions should not (in my own opinion :-)) be
> offensive or annoying to anyone.  Stating those opinions in
> great depth and volume just means we have a great depth and
> volume of valuable postings.
> 
> I've seen Brian unintentionally offend someone, and go into
> characteristically great depth and volume to apologize,
> profusely.  That's very far from being an offensive poster, in
> my opinion.
> 
> So while I'm very much in favor of maintaining a community where
> people treat each other with respect and try to avoid being
> offensive or "annoying", I'd rather not allow a single complaint
> to remove a valuable source of insight and information.
> 
> Respectfully,
> Michael Henry
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Novalug mailing list
> Novalug at calypso.tux.org
> http://calypso.tux.org/mailman/listinfo/novalug