peters@jester.cc.msstate.edu (Frank W. Peters) (01/14/90)
In article <5246@buengc.BU.EDU> bph@buengc.bu.edu (Blair P. Houghton) writes: >I would be much more comfortable with something that resembles >comp.unix.wizards, where the sheer inapproachability of the >discussions keep the neophytes and lurkers out of print Hmmmm. Last fall on comp.unix.wizards someone asked how to tell a wizard... which led to a discussion of how to pronounce 'vi' which led to a discussion of how to pronounce various other unix commands...which led to a discussion of how to pronounce '*'...which eventually led to a bunch of flames about the fact that none of this was appropriate to comp.unix.wizards...which led to flames that these people should lighten up...and so on. The thread lasted for hundreds of messages. All of this resulted from a single message that actually posed a reasonable and appropriate question (how does a company with no unix experts recognize such an expert to hire him). I think comp.unix.wizards is a good example of why r.a.c *should* be moderated. Remember, even discussions that start appropriately can go astray. A competent moderator can be a tremendous help in getting such a thread back on track. Frank W. Peters Systems Programmer Computing Center & Services peters@CC.MsState.Edu Peters@MsState.Bitnet (601)325-2942 "I can't give you brains, but I can give you a diploma." -- The Wizard of OZ
bph@buengc.BU.EDU (Blair P. Houghton) (01/15/90)
In article <292@delta.cs.msstate.edu> peters@jester.cc.msstate.edu (Frank W. Peters) writes: >In article <5246@buengc.BU.EDU> bph@buengc.bu.edu (Blair P. Houghton) writes: >>I would be much more comfortable with something that resembles >>comp.unix.wizards, where the sheer inapproachability of the > >Hmmmm. Last fall on comp.unix.wizards someone asked how to tell a wizard... >which led to a discussion of how to pronounce 'vi' which led to a discussion [...etc. etc. I don't know why she swallowed a fly, perhaps she'll die...] That particular round of lunacy was exacerbated by certain among the c.u.w regulars who chose to stamp their little feet and whine like net.newborns about how it wasn't making them happy. A prompt posting of the canonical million-pronunciations list kills those discussions toot-sweet, and two dozen regulars emailing the list to someone naive enough to ask the question teaches that person not only about that question, but also about any other question that he could have reason to feel might rather obviously have been asked by someone in the past. But then, just perhaps there is some tiny alteration of the tone of the question, or some insight in the neophyte's summary or subject line, but the moderator sees only "how do you glyph 'splat'?" hears only the screams of malcontents and compulsive elitists, and applies his own fear of criticism. Poof. Some small important part of the group has died, and only to save a string of petty discomforts. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, but those who force a prevention of history are doomed to stagnation. --Blair "I'd say something about Eastern Europe, here, but that'd be self-aggrandizing."