[p@dirac.org: Re: [vox-tech] Questions about building my own box]

[Gabriel Rosa]

On Wed, 16 Jan 2002, Ajay wrote:

> * Richard Crawford <rscrawford@mossroot.com> [020116 21:13], about
>
> :mentioned sending to him.  This is, in my opinion, a very serious breach
> :of standard internet protocol.
>
> Please go ahead and read laws on email privacy.  They all basically say
> 'you have none,' and basically all fall on common sense.  (Which is what a
> lot of our laws are based on (I think the DMV manual explicitly states this
> too ("use common sense"))).  We all know email is as secure as a postcard,
> and that's one reason.  The more important, and common sense reason, is that
> you don't want to say anything to anyone (over email) that you wouldn't want
> public, you can by no means guarantee, or even expect, the privacy.  I say
> this is common sense because this is true in the "real" world.  The only
> thing is the online world occassionally allows for people to be left more
> accountable.

here's my analogy... :)

If Johny turns to you in a class you particularly enjoy and says
"This lecture is boring, the professor doesn't know how to captivate the
class." you wouldn't stand up and yell out "Excuse me everyone, Johny thinks
the professor is boring. What do you all think about this?"

The situation may be different, but the same principle applies. Conversations
that are taken out of list scope are taken out for a good reason,
they shouldn't make their way back to the public because someone wants to
bitch about getting their wrist slapped.

>
> I don't think I wish for this list to be a meritocracy (a la svlug), but as

All mailing lists are meritocracies. They all have their Alan Coxs and their
Jeff Newmillers :) When I read vox, the first threads I read are the ones
that have posts from people I know have something to contribute, or are
on a subject that I feel that I can make a contribution to.

> If one wanted to ask for good sites to do hw research (anandtech, tom's, etc
> etc there are so many nowadays), that should be a reasonable query, because
> again, there are so many.  (and some are supposedly biased in a myriad of
> ways.)  (The reason for this of course is none of us can be acclaimed to be
> hw experts, so soliciting our opinion on lesser known/used products..)
> (If it means anything, Takashi's was the most specific of all the responses
> I saw.(in terms of content))

It comes down to a simple point, IMHO vox-tech is a place to come to for
when you know something, yet you need a steering, a recommendation, a sagely
ear. It is _assumed_ that you have already done your research before posting
here.

I consider vox-tech to be... of a higher level than vox. The traffic tends
to be more informative, the posters are generally more educated.
It is no place for elite sarcastic remarks, no matter how much more
informative the post may be.


> :On a separate note, I would say that whoever created and maintains a
> :mailing list has the right to say what goes on on that list.

(Sorry about commenting on someone else's idea)
Absolutely. He's there to make our reading more enjoyable as a whole.

>
> This goes into the realms of censorship, trademark of a dictatorship.

I disagree, I think it goes into the realms of respectfulness. The list
maintainer is there to make sure we don't abuse the list, or each other.

>
> I believe that lugod (like linux) is a community onto itself, and as such
> would be subject to community standards/rules/regulations, not Ex Post Law.
> (created by a single supreme arbiter with punishments created at the same
> time as the laws.)
> (or anarchy in the internet sense of the word.)

I agree. I think this is were "common sense" kicks in. But I also think that
as the elected (or, unchallenged perhaps) list maintainer, Pete has the right
to pick out what is obviously inappropriate and warn the poster.

I really like the way vox/vox-tech have been for the last little while.
It's not often I think about it, but it's much more enjoyable to post to
readers who'll read my remarks and argue for/against them for what they are,
not using personal remarks to win their points. Whenever a flame war breaks
out, we all end up being neurotic and over analysing every period, terminating
preposition and split infinitive in each other's posts ;)


-Gabe