RE: Non - Linux - But good article

Richard,

Your comments on the effect of dust on network propagation, or how E-Smith 
has made dust administration easy would be most welcome, although some 
would argue that they should be in the tech list :-).






At 11:34 AM 31/03/2004 +0800, you wrote:
>I still do not see how anything I wrote before was "political"?  I
>posted the link FIRST before my text for obvious reasons of "context".
>
>I am often horrified by how some people are quick to say something is a
>slur or racist or political.  Yet as a 3rd generation Irishman, why
>should I not get offended at those "Irishman, Englishman, American"
>jokes that lay claim to the apparent stupidity of my forefathers?
>
>Is that not racist also?  Of course - but that is politically
>'acceptable'.
>
>If I go and make a comment about the quality of construction in Beijing,
>I am labelled a culturally insensitive gate crasher?
>
>Go figure?
>
>The fact of the matter is this:
>
>A perfectly good article was presented and Fred went of half-cocked,
>half-informed and half-enlightened and got his knickers in a knot.
>
>Let's not obfuscate the issue.  I was unilaterally tared and feathered
>for injecting some "food for thought".  Dare I mention anything about
>the dust storm yesterday, I could get labelled as some kind of unwanted
>environmentalist practitioner.
>
>
>RF.
>
>
>On Wed, 2004-03-31 at 11:08, Graham Brown wrote:
> > Hi Amy,
> >
> > Clearly,my comments were not addressing the article itself.
> >
> > Your views are welcome, but Fred is also probably right that the real 
> issue
> > is whether the list is a space for the expression of political views that
> > are not technically related to Linux or OS issues.
> >
> > There are plenty of Linux related political issues for those interested in
> > advocacy:
> >
> > Despite all the open source "advocacy" of the Chinese government, many
> > government websites are only MS compliant, not standards compliant.   This
> > creates problems in accessing information from OS browsers such as Mozilla.
> >
> > Writing tax receipts (fapiao) requires (unless there are alternatives that
> > I am not aware of) the use of software that only runs on MS 
> windows.  There
> > are other "official" issues that similarly require that you have MSW 
> installed.
> >
> > There are also China specific graphic file formats that are, so far as I
> > know, only supported in MSW.
> >
> > If China adopts its own wifi and other standards, who is going to write 
> the
> > linux drivers?  Will information be made available to enable drivers to be
> > written?
> >
> > etc etc.
> >
> > At 10:26 AM 31/03/2004 +0800, you wrote:
> > >the point was not about the article but the comments in the email... I 
> guess
> > >I was not clear enough.
> > >Besides this is a Linux group and not a Freedom of speech group. I 
> remember
> > >not so long ago the issue being raised about sticking to Linux/Open source
> > >subject.... so why not anymore?
> > >
> > >Fred
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From: blug-general-bounces-+qp3TudyjKPvfBIPTTProkB+6BGkLq7r@public.gmane.org
> > >[mailto:blug-general-bounces-+qp3TudyjKPvfBIPTTProkB+6BGkLq7r@public.gmane.org] On Behalf Of Su Jiang
> > >Sent: Wednesday 31 March, 2004 10:16
> > >To: 'Beijing LUG general non-technical discussion list - Not
> > >publiclyposted'; [email protected]
> > >Subject: RE: [blug-general] Non - Linux - But good article
> > >
> > >
> > >Hi, as a Chinese I would like to make a few comments too.
> > >
> > >I like the article that Richard recommended.  I am really into my job and
> > >can't follow up with the discussion in this mailing list all the time.
> > >Often I skipped the articles that Bluggers recommended in their email 
> but I
> > >happened to read this article and found it is very informative, 
> interesting
> > >and intelligent.  Personally I would like to thank Richard to have taken
> > >efforts and time to pick this great article and shared with us, isn't
> > >sharing the true spirit of Linux?
> > >
> > >I tend to think Fred has been a bit emotional on this issue.  Whatever we
> > >felt about the wordings or opinions of the article does not change the 
> fact
> > >at all, right?  The truth is out there, hiding from the truth does not
> > >change it, neither denial.  The article may not telling the ultimate 
> truth,
> > >but it is informative enough to expend the horizon of our knowledge about
> > >skyscrapers, isn't this a nice thing?  Why we geeks have to sit in the 
> well
> > >of technology and stay away from other interesting knowledge?  The 
> spirit of
> > >technology is not about learning and building but to explore with 
> passion -
> > >it is a fun tour!
> > >
> > >I understand Fred's concern about saving bluggers' time by keeping this
> > >mailing list specialized in technology issues only.  I have to say 
> that this
> > >sound a bit too up-tight for me. I am an up-tight person at my job 
> too, but
> > >I don't take this mailing list as serious as my job, and I don't think we
> > >need to.  I think this is a mailing list of freedom. Richard has the 
> freedom
> > >of posing articles for people's interest, people who are not 
> interested has
> > >the freedom of not reading it, and Fred has the freedom to claim that 
> he was
> > >offended.  I don't agree to make any rules on this mailing list for that
> > >will break the spirit of freedom, which is also the spirit of Linux.
> > >
> > >Another thing I can't agree, is the way of your debate.  Where is this
> > >leading?  The article is informative and useful but your debate is not.
> > >Sorry to say so but this is my freedom to express my feeling.  : )
> > >
> > >Regards,
> > >
> > >Amy
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > blug-general list
> > [email protected]
> > http://list.beijinglug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/blug-general
>
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Regards,

Graham Brown

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