[ale] as promised/threatened, an overly long post with probably nothing of real importance

[Dow Hurst]

ALE is a great resource and shouldn't die off because of too many OT posts
or replies going OT.  Isn't that what this is really about?  Everyone is
feeling the pressure building with all the issues currently under debate,
economic, religious or political.  How that pressure is let off is where we
could make at difference in the ALE list.  Maybe everyone could limit
themselves to one OT post per quarter and do their best to not bring
controversial topics inappropriately into threads?

I really appreciate all the ALE members who have kept the group and the
listserv going through all the years.  I guess any group has it's ups and
downs, but ALE has been re-civilized many times and can be again.  ALE is
not a "let off steam" forum, but a technical listserv focusing on all things
Linux related.  Moderation is a necessary evil to control spam, but let's
not be the spam ourselves!  I can't imagine how much time it would take to
read every email that comes through the ALE list and make a decision: is it
spam, flame, or ok?  I'd hate that job!

Best wishes,
Dow
________________________________________________
Dow Hurst


On Mon, May 9, 2011 at 8:54 AM, Jim Kinney <jim.kinney at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> On Mon, May 9, 2011 at 8:25 AM, Geoffrey Myers <
> lists at serioustechnology.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> It used to be that the defining point of ALE was Linux.  I don't mind
>> the community/pub thing. What turns folks off is the rhetoric often used
>> that is so spiteful.  As I said before, the noise to value ratio on the
>> list is very poor.  Has been for a while.  I know a number of folks that
>> I pointed to ALE who have left.  Sadly, I no longer point people to ALE
>> as Linux resource.
>>
>> The ALE community has become quite politicized over the past 10 years.
> People started added pointedly political signatures to their emails. Others
> added retaliatory signatures (me!). Discussion get heated and then BOOM! it
> erupts into a noisy string of rhetoric that is so totally off-topic that
> people leave in disgust. As others have explained, the passion for Linux
> tends to spill over to other areas. As I have said, I will exercise the
> moderate button faster on individuals than I have in the past (i.e. - I
> didn't use it at all).
>
> If someone doesn't like the noise to value ratio they can:
> 1. post more value
> 2. don't add to the noise
>
> That's my goal.
>
> --
> --
> James P. Kinney III
>
> As long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to
> consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as they
> please, and those who survive will be left to contemplate the outcome.
> - *2011 Noam Chomsky*
>
> _______________________________________________
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> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>
>
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