rdh@sun.UUCP (02/15/87)
Tim, the net is not the forum for criticizing anyone's personality. Please don't do it again. No matter how much your encounter with Stallman may have hurt and disappointed you, the net isn't the place to vent those feelings. No matter how strongly you may disagree with his approach to freeware, this is comp.os.minix, not comp.os.gnu. Anyway, you've probably caught plenty of grief for this already. In some ways I tend agree with what you said. There is a "real world" of competing approaches, and a less-defensive approach to distributing cheapware is obviously going to be more workable and positive. But, while Tannenbaum's approach skirts the problems of Stallman's, it wouldn't necessarily have done so had Stallman not pioneered the gnu approach first. My experience with pioneer types is that they are typically eccentric, often in unpleasant ways. I once got thoroughly fried by Gregory Bateson, whom I'd grown to love deeply from his writings (before I met him). That hurt immensely. Pioneers often make bad company, especially when you naively hope to befriend them on the spot. But, I still admire and respect them; now I'm careful not to expect much socially until they recognize my skin as thick enough to be safe. I suggest you do likewise in future, for your sake and theirs. Personally, I find the extra work and patience to be worth it. I guess I'm asking you to have a little compassion for Stallman's personal flaws (as you see them), to understand that they really shouldn't detract from his good intentions or the results of his approach (including subsequent approaches that seem to work better). I'm asking you to recognize the contributions he has made, and to consider how you can be supportive of people who dare to try new approaches. A high degre of tolerance may be in order as they go through the personal highs and lows such pioneering often brings. Think about it. Personally, I'd like to see many many cheap gnu applications to run on my minix system. -bob.
anderson@uwmacc.UUCP (02/15/87)
In article <13340@sun.uucp>, rdh@sun.uucp (Robert Hartman) writes: [a wonderful article on appropriate responses to the work of others as it relates to their personalities. I know none of the persons involved, but I've done my share of peace-making on the net, and I found Bob's article so fair and so sensible that I would immediately nominate it for inclusion in the mod.announce.newusers.ballyhoo that guides us in learning proper netiquette. The flammage has been low here so far, and it would be nice to keep it that way. Thanks, Mr Hartman, for your sagacity!] -- ==ARPA:==============anderson@unix.macc.wisc.edu===Jess Anderson====== | UUCP: {harvard,seismo,rutgers, (avoid ihnp4!) 1210 W. Dayton | | akgua,allegra,usbvax}!uwvax!uwmacc!anderson Madison, WI 53706 | ==BITNET:======================anderson@wiscmacc===608/263-6988=======
allbery@ncoast.UUCP (02/20/87)
As quoted from <13340@sun.uucp> by rdh@sun.uucp (Robert Hartman): +--------------- | Tim, the net is not the forum for criticizing anyone's personality. Please | don't do it again. No matter how much your encounter with Stallman may have | hurt and disappointed you, the net isn't the place to vent those feelings. | No matter how strongly you may disagree with his approach to freeware, this is | comp.os.minix, not comp.os.gnu. +--------------- Tim's not the only one, and comp.os.minix not the only newsgroup, where Stallman's been flamed for his ``little ways''. Besides which, your posting is even more out of place than his; it should have been mailed. There will be letters to system administrators if we get another the-world- vs.-Tim-Maroney war going. Have your g*ddam battles in mail and let us read the stuff we subscribed to comp.os.minix to read. -- ++Brandon (Resident Elf @ ncoast.UUCP) ____ ______________ / \ / __ __ __ \ Brandon S. Allbery <backbone>!ncoast!allbery ___ | /__> / \ / \ aXcess Co., Consulting ncoast!allbery@Case.CSNET / \ | | `--, `--, 6615 Center St. #A1-105 (...@relay.CS.NET) | | \__/ \__/ \__/ Mentor, OH 44060-4101 \____/ \______________/ +1 216 974 9210