[ale] Take the "too passe?" war on-list

[Jonathan Rickman]

I think it all boils down to expectations. Different individuals have
different expectations and expect the list to meet those expectations,
regardless of how idealistic or unrealistic they may be.

For some, this is just a hangout for linux users. Being that not all
Linux users share the same background, it is expected that not all
discussion will come from the same frame of reference and
occasionally, there will be off topic posts that are not interesting
to them in the least. This is accepted, or at least tolerated by this
group. This group tends to be self policing for the most part.

For others, this is purely a Linux technical resource. All off topic
discussion should be squelched immediately. They view this list as a
living, breathing, FAQ. This position is clearly unrealistic. If we
insisted on enforcing this to the letter, there would never be any
discussion of anything other than the Linux kernel proper. This group
would probably vote to have the list moderated if that option was
offered.

For yet another group, this is an online help desk. All subscribers
other than themselves are here solely for their benefit and should be
prompt and courteous at all times, as if they were being paid to
answer questions. This group has issues, to be certain. They tend to
either not stick around for very long, or they come to accept things
for what they are and move into one of the other two groups.

The reality is that the list is closer to the first description. It
really always has been.

Some of the off topic ranting is annoying to me, but I try to tolerate
it because I know that next week, I might be the one delivering the
annoying off topic ranting and I'd like to have that same courtesy
returned. There is a limit though, and usually that limit is only
flirted with before the issue is dropped by the offender, or the self
policing aspects of the first group come into play. Rarely does a list
member persist when called upon to drop it. The flamewars are
annoying, entertaining, insightful, informative, and offensive...all
at the same time. This list has rarely had a flamewar that did not
result in some good. If nothing else, we gain insights into other
personalities and thus become more of a community in the end. For
example, during the most recent flamewar I learned that Drew
approaches problems in an entirely different way than most people.
Without this knowledge, I had often looked at his questions and just
shook my head, thinking him to be some kind of buffoon. As it turns
out, he takes a very simplistic and practical approach to things,
almost to a fault. Now that I know a little bit more about how he
approaches an issue I might be better equipped to assist him in the
future, because I understand how he thinks about computing. We don't
have to be a geek version of the "Getalong Gang" to learn from each
other.

I'll take the list just the way it is, and has been. Warts and all,
it's a pretty good source of information and a fun place to hang out.
The collective wisdom of the group is far greater than any other
online community that I've run across. There is also a great diversity
of opinion on a variety of subjects here that I find enlightening as
well.

--
Jonathan