solomon (07/14/82)
Concerning greg (Greg Johnson at the University of Wisconsin--Madison)'s plea for full-name signatures, let me say that the only thing that annoys me more than a first-name signature is a loging name signature, e.g.: From dopey!sneezy!ihxyz!ihuvw!mhwhoami!honoplacelike!somewhere!jge Subject: personal opinions Well, I think, blah, blah, blah, blah. Sincerely yours, jge Another pet peeve: articles that start out, Yes, I agree with that, but with regard to the third point ... Just because the message you are replying to is still sitting on your screen, doesn't mean anybody else has seen it recently (or yet!). Common guys, use a little common sense! Marvin Solomon University of Wisconsin solomon@uwisc harpo!uwvax!solomon
dc (07/16/82)
Concerning first-last name signatures, I can reply with a follow-up article or by mail without knowing someone's name -- for the most part I couldn't really care!!! Half the nonsense I see on this net is petty minded complaints and if I decide to "flame" (what does that word mean?) like this I'm sure no-one would like to have it addressed to them personally anyway. Please spare me the responses I've already given this subject more time than it's worth. anywhere!but!nowhere!bethere!besquare!-don'tcare.
otto (07/17/82)
Perhaps things will change when everyone will be given a telephone
number at birth. Perhaps then we will start thinking of each other as
numbers. But for now I like to think of others as people with *names*.
Knowing a person's name gives me the feeling that I know that person a
bit better. I register names better, I build up an impression better,
I can make comments to others better names are involved rather than access
paths.
Hey, did you hear (312) 555-3425's latest flame
about darkness emitting diodes?
Yes, but I thought that (414) 555-6532 had a good
response pointing out the temperature effects...
Somehow such conversation repels me.
When Lauren Weinstein came to speak at the Labs last month, one of the
reasons I wanted to attend his presentation was that I had seen so many
well-thought-out comments by him in this very net. When the announcement
went out about his presentation, it did *not* mention his USENET address.
If that was the only way he had identified himself on the net, I wouldn't
have known who he was when he came to speak!
I second the request that people sign their notes with both first and last
names. Doing so emphasizes our humanity; not doing so emphasizes
technocracity.
George Otto
Bell Labs, Indian Hill
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