Re: Topic Nazis (OR Mystery: static variables & performance)

From: Erik (et57)
Date: 02/11/04 

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 23:51:51 +0100

On 11 Feb 2004 18:52:15 GMT, the right honourable Dan.Pop@cern.ch (Dan
Pop) wrote:

>In <k2li20p7br382mmmdvng0lvk5sq1vmd884@4ax.com> Erik <et57 at correos calor dot com> writes:
>
>>And there is no charter. So who determins which questions are
>>off-topic ? the "regulars" you say.
>
>What would be a technical newsgroup without its regulars? A next to
>useless place, because you'd never have any a priori indication about
>the quality of one answer or another. Since they are the most valuable
>resource of a newsgroup, they also have the privilege to decide the
>"moderation policy".
>
>>A problem with the internet is one of identity. We do not know the
>>regulars, never seen them, never heard them, never met them.
>>I have great difficulty in trusting unseen people on the net.
>
>When choosing technical books, do you select *only* the ones whose
>authors you know personally (have met, seen, spoken to)? Why would be
>the Internet any different?
>

Publishing books is an entirely different process than posting on
Usenet. There are collegues of the writer, review people , publishers
etc.etc. It's not easy to publish a book.
and there is no peer review for a usenet posting. Only after the fact.

>>Especially trusting them with any power to decide...etc.
>
>You don't have to trust them with that power, it is a power they
>acquired themselves, based on their own merits. If you don't like the
>job they do, find another newsgroup or create one of your own.

But I do like the job they do, most of the time. But trust is a
different thing.

>
>>(for that, there are the moderated groups. One can ban all one likes
>>in a mod. group. No problem with that)
>>No white-robed high-priests for me, thank you.
>
>They exist and exert their power, whether you like it or not.

hm, I am a fan of Immanuel Kant in this: I use my own brain.

>
>>My rule of thumb is: only trust if you have to. Or, As Ronnie Reagan
>>once said about the russians: trust but verify.
>>And I cannot verify on the net.
>
>That's your problem. On the net, the credentials of each individual

yes indeed it is my problem. But I solved it :-)

>are his posts and they are available to anyone interested.
>
>>There is no charter. So don't bark at people who decide by the name of
>>the news group: comp.lang.c: the C computer language. full stop.
>
>OK, so you're now trying to act as a super-high-priest, imposing to the
>high-priests what (not) to do. Why would they bother to listen to you?

so I am right ?
They listen, apparently...judging from the length of this thread...

>
>The Usenet rules have been cast in concrete long ago: the newcomer *must*
>lurk for a while, in order to figure out what the newsgroup is about,
>rather than act based on *assumptions* derived from the newsgroup's name.
>In the process, he'll also figure out who are the newsgroup's regulars
>that are worth paying attention to and who is/are the village idiot(s).

There is no concrete on the net.
And it's only worth making rules, if they can be enforced. Ask any
cop.

>
>You have as many chances to change the Usenet rules as you have to impose
>your will to the newsgroup's regulars. In other words, you're wasting
>your time.

but i don't want to change rules. I want to point out uncivilised
behaviour. (if only I could change it too !)

>
>Dan

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