[ILUG] Flamefests

[Rónán]

I've been following this flamewar with declining interest for some time, and
it's getting somewhat out of hand.

On 28/6/00 at 12:39 pm, drjolt+ilug at redbrick.dcu.ie (David Murphy) wrote:

> Quoting <200006281124.e5SBOKZ21807 at ogma.tuatha.org>
> by Colm Buckley <colm at tuatha.org>:
> 
> > I'm *vaguely* concerned about the flamewars which erupted over the
> > RAID and Firewall discussions recently. I'm reluctant to apply any
> > moderation to this list, as I think it's a testament to the
> > self-moderating capability of mature people that it generally works
> > well. Occasional flames, when deserved, are right and proper, and
> > part of the workings of a mailing list, but when two Tireless
> > Rebutters[1] get into a battle, everyone else just tunes out... and
> > when it gets personal and nasty, it brings down the whole tone of
> > the list.
> 
> Why mince words? You [and I presume the majority of readers] don't
> want technical discussions on the list, particularly if they're going
> to involve Linux shortcomings. Why not say that, put it in the
> charter, and and have done.
> 

With all due respect, David, I don't know how you meant this to sound, but it
reads to me like a spoilt child who hasn't got his way. Why do you presume the
majority of readers don't want technical discussions? Personally, I'd welcome
them. And if they point to shortcomings in Linux, all the better. I don't
pretend Linux is all things for all tasks, and I would distrust anyone who said
it was. (I'm not even editing this message under Linux).

> Me, I'm done with this list. Kate, you want my explanation of why
> clueful people leave ILUG, it's because anything which is interesting
> (i.e. outside the scope of
> I-have-a-question-here-is-the-answer-thanks-very-much, which is
> obviously only of interest to the questioner and anyone with a similar
> question) gets squashed.
> 

Actually, I would say it's the opposite - ILUG is becoming hugely off-topic. A
large proportion of the posts are about minor technical questions (how to I get
distribution X to talk to hardware Y) - these belong in other places (the lists
and newsgroups for that hardware and software). Another major proportion are
about high-tech in Ireland - this I don't mind as much, as it is at least of
interest to more people, but it still belongs elsewhere (perhaps on
Technobabble). Less and less seems to be about Linux in Ireland, per se.

The RAID/Firewalls discussion was also a limited interest topic area. When I
lost interest, and it started to go over my head, I ignored it, as I ignore many
other threads, but what concerns me now is that the bad vibes that started to
predominate it have spilled over into the rest of the list.

> I continue to offer the technobabble list [1] for anyone who would
> like an Irish forum for unfettered technical discussion (although
> soliloquies are off-topic, Kenn ;).
> 

Technobabble seems largely dormant at the moment, and it would have been much
better to take the RAID/Firewall discussion over there early on.