Off-topic posting (was Re: FSF condemns partnership between Mozilla and Adobe to support Digital Restrictions Management)

[Zenaan Harkness]

On 5/21/14, David Guntner <david at guntner.com> wrote:
> David Guntner grabbed a keyboard and wrote:
>> Jerry Stuckle grabbed a keyboard and wrote:
>>>
>>> Then don't add to the bandwidth with your please to stop.  As you've
>>> been told before - just ignore the thread.  And if you can't do that,
>>> get a email reader that will.
>>
>> No.  Just because you and a small group of noisy people are too fscking
>> lazy and inconsiderate to take the topic where it belongs and where it
>> would be WAY more appropriate is not a reason for everyone else on the
>> list who is here for the purpose of talking ABOUT THINGS DIRECTLY
>> RELATED TO DEBIAN to have to make modifications to get your unwanted
>> cruft out of their mail readers.
>>
>> The Debian off-topic list exists expressly for the purpose of discussing
>> things like this.  It's not rocket science, Jerry.  Even you should be
>> able to figure that out.  I can't help it that you just don't want to
>> and think that this list is your personal playground where anything goes.
>
> Ok, that last bit was a bit insulting, and was uncalled for.  I
> apologize for that.
>
> However, that does not change the fact that you and the other noisy few
> who just *have* to drag an off-topic discussion on and on and on and on
> to the point where it's not even beating a dead horse any more - the
> horse is GLUE at this point - is incredibly inconsiderate to all the
> other people on this list who are here for reading and discussion things
> that pertain directly to the Debian operating system and its software
> package.  Which is, after all, the stated purpose of this list.  An
> Debian Off-Topic list was created specifically for the purpose of
> allowing Debian users a place where they can discuss politics, DRM, the
> FSF condemning ant-eaters for eating ants, etc. to their heart's
> content.  People on that list want to discuss, and see discussions, on
> all those other subjects.
>
> THIS list is here for the purpose stated above.  When you guys keep
> going on and on and on about something which is blatantly, patently
> off-topic for it, you are, in fact, being extremely rude and
> inconsiderate of all those others - many of whom may simply be lurking
> to read and learn.  When you flood the list with so much noise that the
> actual signal starts to be drowned out, you effectively ruin the
> usefulness of the list for its intended purpose.
>
> I've been using the internet since the 80's, and yes, I'm perfectly
> capable of kill-filing those topics. If all I was concerned about was
> just me, I'd do it.  But I want the list to remain useful for others as
> well.
>
> On a strictly personal level, face it - I'm on this list because of its
> intended purpose.  I should not *have* to take steps to filter out
> off-topic massive threads that just won't go away - NOBODY should have
> to.  Some off-topic stuff is always going to happen on any list.  It's
> just a fact of life that topics will drift a bit every now and then.
> But when you know damn-well that you're off topic and someone takes the
> time to nudge you about it, telling them "I'm not going to, just filter
> it out" is the height of arrogance.  What you're saying is that it's way
> more important that you use the list any way you want and that people
> who want the list used for its intended purpose can just bugger off.
>
> I'm not going to continue this particular discussion on list, because I
> don't want *this* thread to drag out into Yet Another Off-Topic Thread
> That Just Won't Die.  If you want to discuss further, feel free to reply
> back to me directly.  If you feel the burning need to reply to this
> on-list, there's not much I can do to stop you. :-)  But I won't reply
> to anything you say there on the list.

The only thing I'd add to the above is that it may have been useful to
CC offtopic list, to again help prompt those (like myself evidently)
who are hint-challenged.

:/
Zenaan