[Fsfe-uk] Re: BBC Article about Linux SCO and Copyrights - BBCcalls for statements (fwd)]

[Ralph Corderoy]

Hi Paul,

> > > It seems you'd like to beat my head in with a spade... interesting
> > > response, I thought, 
> >
> > What did you write? Not "Whoever wrote this pile of streaming crap
> > needs educating - possibly with the aid of a spade..." I assume?
> 
> That sounds like something I would have said at that time (IIRC, it
> had been rough going for me at that time and was not in any mood to
> bandy words - not always a good idea...)

Have you considered you're doing more damage than good for FLOSS with
your attempts at preaching its benefits?  You just don't seem to have
the diplomatic skills for it.  And I say that having seen you in action
on the Acorn newsgroups for some years where there you're extolling
Acorn's benefits.

Then there was your recent failure to `not feed' the very obvious troll
on the uk.comp.os.linux newsgroup despite prodding privately by several
people;  that led to the troll hassling your employer which wasn't
pleasant for you or them.

As I see it, Ian's has politely pointed out that a calm, reasoned,
approach is required;  one that listens to the position of the other
side and attempts to understand.  Your response in defending your
initial post was along the lines of `they're so thick, using Microsoft,
shouting is necessary to get the message through'.  That simply fails;
you're telling the person he's a complete idiot for not doing it your
superior way.

Please contribute to FLOSS, like Scribus, continue to contribute to
discussions like on this list where there are no `outsiders' to p*ss
off.  But please, do FLOSS a favour, and stop giving 'the typical
response of a Linux user' that the article complains of; it sets us
back.

Hopefully one of the things FSFE can do is to steer people who want to
lobby their employer or local company about FLOSS's benefits in the
right direction, including notes, printed material, and `what not to
do'.

Cheers,


Ralph.