[ale] New Mailing List initiatives for ALE (last one, I promise)

[Jeff Lightner]

Well although I'm not in agreement with the need to change the list I
will say I think this post is a bit unfair.  The question WAS asked at
Ale NW of everyone that attended not just of those that might agree with
the change.  

While that may not have been everyone on the list the fact is that this
was originated by someone who IS working to further Ale as a whole by
hosting the NW meetings and I for one am grateful.

An informal poll is of course informal.  It seems that Jerald went a
long way into explaining that:
a) He did that before posting to the list because others approached him
first.
b) He DID post to the list before making the change so that it would no
longer just be an informal poll.

I think we've all pretty much said what there is to say as to pros and
cons as well as alternate suggestions.

Perhaps its now time for a formal poll wherein the suggested changes (as
modified by other suggestions in this thread) are taken in a formal poll
in the list itself.

e.g.
1) Leave ale at ale.org the way it is and don't create any new list.
2) Leave ale at ale.org the way it is and create tech at ale.org (or similar
name - maybe a separate poll depending on yeas/nays for this option).

If everyone on the list just states their preference by replying to the
poll mail then those results could be tallied (and by having them done
in the list we could all verify the tally ourselves).

Note:  Please don't respond to THIS post as a vote.  Since it's Jerald's
idea I'll leave it to him to formulate the poll questions.



-----Original Message-----
From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of Jeff
To: ale at ale.org
Hubbs
Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 10:06 AM
To: madscot at oppositelock.org; Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
Subject: Re: [ale] New Mailing List initiatives for ALE (last one, I
promise)

I'm afraid that my position echoes Sean's and Jim Kinney's.  I'm not
seeing where a re-jiggering is going to improve anything. 

I note, much as Jim did, that eight years on the list didn't get me in
the "consultee's club" either.  Whereas I don't take that personally, it
does suggest that whatever consulting was done may have been done more
to seek support for the originator's foregone conclusion than to really
determine a consensus, deliberately or not.  To wit:  "I started taking
an informal poll around April...and got a startling congruity of
response."  Such is the danger of informal polls:  ask just the people
who already tend to feel as you do out of proximity and, unsurprisingly,
their consensus matches your predilection.

Both good and bad list members will come and both good and bad list
members will go.  Such is life.  I know that I get irritated when I ask
a question on the list and find that it gets drowned in a barrage of
off-topic or other AOL-worthy posts, but, damned if a life free of
irritation is not advertised as a benefit of the ALE list. 

I suggest leaving ALE's mailing lists as they are.  People are free to
create whatever new mailing lists they want and be just as fussy about
them as they please.  What's next, adopting a Linux distribution as the
"official" distribution of ALE?

- Jeff

Sean Kilpatrick wrote:
> On Thursday 28 September 2006 08:04, Jerald Sheets wrote:
> | What we have to realize, though, is there are clearly two very  
> | distinct camps with very distinct needs.  Inaction (i.e. doing  
> | nothing) will drive away a subset of users that have come here for  
> | help and either a) receive some with great difficulty of finding it,

> | or b) get none with the added plus of being derided for asking
simple  
> | questions (not my words).
>
> Jerald,
> First, let me state the obvious:  I am not a Geek. (IANAG) :)
>
> If it weren't for my son and the members of the ALE list,  I would be
> hard pressed to continue using Linux as an operating system.
> (I ran screaming away from Win95 to OS/2 more than a decade ago and
> hope and pray I will never have to go back to an M$ OS.)
>
> But I must say that I have never been insulted on this list.  My
> questions, basic or complex, have been answered without rudeness or
> attitude.
>
> If a poll were taken, I'd vote to leave the list the way it is. I
> haven't worn the paint off the "Delete" key yet and the only problem
> I have had with the fluff is the reluctance of some to CHANGE THE
> SUBJECT LINE when the thread wanders afield of the original topic. :)
>
> The Ale LUG _is_ community, warts and all. In its own way, Ale is
> sorta like a church: we have the entire range represented from
> theologians to those who can't even be bothered to actually read 
> the Bible/Manual.
>    And along that line of thought I was pleased to see that I am not
> the only one who has been late to discover the "info" pages -- and
> that they are (sometimes) more up to date than the man pages. :)
>
> Sean
>
> Note:  The only reason the paint hasn't worn off my "Delete" key is
> that this six-year-old keyboard is an IBM model and is built like 
> the proverbial masonary men's restroom. 
>
>   
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ale mailing list
> Ale at ale.org
> http://www.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale

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