FW: Yanoff's new Christian .sig

Just thought I'd share this with the group.  This is the fourth or fifth
e-mail on the topic -- I can share the earlier ones if there's a request for
it.

FYI, I'm withdrawing from the beta testing effort mainly due to Gregg's
decision to place a "Christian" message inside the default signature for
newsgroup postings and e-mail.

I also plan to *never* purchase Gregg's commercial version of Yanoff, even
though I could *possibly* receive a complimentary registration due to my
bug-finding during the beta test.  I'm not sure, though, if Gregg would have
given this to me, since he was pretty "tough" and obstinate about what "was"
or "wasn't" a bug...

Anyway, here are my reasons for not going with the commercial version of
Yanoff:
1) Gregg's decision to fill in the *default signature* message with a
"Christian" biblical reference.  It's one thing for a software author to
place a message like that into the "about" box, or somewhere similar, but
it's very different to place it into the default signature position.  Sure,
every user who plans to do any sending of messages will see that panel, and
will therefore have a chance to change the message, but it's just the idea
that Gregg wants to "prompt" users to use that message that bothers me.

2) The free version of Yanoff works great, it has barely any bugs, and it
does all I need a newsgroup reader to do -- I would probably end up not even
using most of the bells and whistles found in the commercial version.

3) The beta product has been, to me, *disturbingly buggy*, right from the
start.  Now, in all fairness, what I'm going by are my experiences as well
as those of others who've posted to the beta group.  Some (or most) of the
bugs I've heard about have (or may have) been fixed, so I don't want to be
too accusatory regarding them.  However, from seeing the results of the
recent testing efforts, there are still several "disturbing" bugs that are
out there.  Again, these may all ultimately be fixed, but I can surely say
that it was disturbing to see several "legacy" features of Yanoff no longer
working correctly -- it almost appears as though the code was completely
re-written for this new release.  But I'd rather give the benefit of the
doubt here -- since I'm not the one who did the coding, I don't really know
the reasons behind this.

4) I actually was disturbed by the idea of Yanoff "going commercial" right
from the start, when Gregg first announced his plans.  Yanoff has always
been a great, free program, and it's actually always been representative of
what I find so appealing about the Palm OS platform and its community of
users.  The idea that publicly-owned software can exist, and can even be
named respectfully after a *guy*, is so unique in the handheld-software
community.  Can you imagine there ever being such a program developed for
the Pocket PC platform??  I can't.

And probably the most ironic thing of all, to me, is that I've always
assumed that the man whom Yanoff was named after, Scott Yanoff, is Jewish...

-----Original Message-----
From: Gregg Woodcock [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2003 12:18 AM
To:   (beta testing group)
Subject: Yanoff's new Christian .sig



----- Original Message -----
From: (beta tester)
To: (beta testing group)
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 12:31 PM
Subject: Re: Yanoff beta: Bugs


> While I don't question your right to include this default .sig, I object
> strongly to your statement that only fools would be upset at it.

Let me clarify.  I now have two valued beta testers who think this is not
a good idea.  I did not say (and did not mean to imply) that anyone who
thinks it is a bad idea is a fool.  What I said, paraphrased now, is that
anyone who is upset by that message (the "Good News"), that Jesus
loves them, is a fool.  Even if they don't believe it, it is foolish to
actually
become *upset* about it.  It is like becoming upset when somebody
wishes another a "Merry Christmas".  To be sure, there are a bunch of
fools who do become upset, but they are, nevertheless, fools.  As such
I do not care to trouble myself with their thoughts and concerns.

To summarize, I don't think either of you foolish for your thought because
the thougt is true.  There will be a tiny fraction of users who don't notice
the default .sig.  And of those, there will be a vanishingly small few

It is no different than you suggesting to me, "you should
stop wishing people a 'Merry Christmas' because somebody might take it
the wrong way and be offended."  Your statement is true but the flaw in
that logic is the unspoken assumption that such fools are worthy of any
consideration
at all.  The fact is they are not; certainly not to the extent that I should
change
my God-honoring, people-loving behaviours.

I don't give one whit about any fool's feelings who's such a moron as to get
upset
about being wished a "Merry Christmas".  In the same manner, I don't care AT
ALL about some fool who is both such a moron as to not realize the lines he
is
reading in his edit window are part of the text that will be sent.  Even
less so any
fool who, after noticing his folly, is further foolish (and shameless!)
enough to
become upset about the philadelphic message which was sent.

So the bottom line is this.  I live my life to please God and love people.
But
my consideration of any fool in particular, or fools in general, ends the
instant it
comes into confict with any benefit to any non-fool.  Even if the number of
fools
greatly outnumber the number of non-fools.  Period.

I have friends and family who are athiest and pegan.  I had a Jewish friend
to
whom, as to everyone, I wished "Merry Christmas."  Finally he asked me,
"You know I don't believe in Jesus, why do you keep saying that?" [NOTE:
he was NOT offended]  My answer was, "That's OK, Jesus loves you anyway
and so do I."  He never had a problem with it before or after.  But even if
he
had, it wouldn't have bothered me (except that if he had asked me to
refrain,
I would have FOR HIM only).  99% of people are blessed (in an admittedly
very tiny way) by my greeting and so I continue to greet them that way.

> Have you thought about your .sig from the perspective of someone who does
not
believe in Jesus?

Yes, that's why it is freely editable.  If you don't like it, change it.
If a user is unable to figure out that it is there or how to change it
then he is too stupid/foolish be using a computer of any kind.

> If you plan to save the world with "more Jesus," where
> does that leave those of us who do not believe in Jesus?

Frankly?  In a WORLD of hurt.  But what does that have to do with the .sig?

> Are we just less important, or worse, part of the world's problems?

Just worse off.  Fools are less important.  Liberals, sloth, dictators and
communism are the cause of most of the world's problems but again,
what does that have to do with the .sig?

> If you're really saying that the world needs more of the *values
> taught by Jesus* (love, kindness, charity, peace), then why not speak of
> those values instead, and not leave people feeling excluded?

Because I, like Jesus, am not willing that ANY man should perish and it is
not good works that save; it is JESUS.  I don't care what "the world" needs;
I care what people need.  And EVERYBODY needs Jesus (and a really good
Palm OS newsreader).

> Put whatever you want in the default .sig.  If you do include a religious
> statement, you *will* generate concerns.  You owe it to the beta team and
> your customers to treat their concerns with respect.

I hope I have properly addressed your concern and explained my position.
I do not cater to fools (and by that I do not mean any of you, I mean the
hypothetical .00000001% of users of whom we have wasted so much time
considering) at the expense of common sense and non-fools.  And, God
willing, I never will.  I would become a fool myself if I were to do so.

That's my final word on the subject and may God bless you all (and thank
you ever so much for the great feedback you have been giving me).  Merry
Christmas!!!

P.S.  I am not offended or upset in ANY way for this concern/topic.  I have
asked
you to bring all my mistakes to my attention and GREATLY appreciate this
one, as
well as all the others.  KEEP THEM COMING!  Just because I don't "fix"
everything
doesn't mean that I want you to stop showing me what bugs you.