[plug] elitism

[Leon Brooks]

Scott wrote:

> christian wrote:
>> Why does Linux have to get into the "mainstream" at all?  It's far too
>> mainstream for many people as it is.

Not a problem! Starting a local HURD user group should keep you out of 
newbieland for at least a few years.

>> Illiterate users are fine but the
>> first thing they need to appreciate is that they will need to make an
>> effort.  Freedom doesn't come without a price.

*Nothing* comes without a price. TANSTAAFL, y'know?

> Ridicule can often be disguised by an elitist attitude.

True. I notice you didn't bother with a disguise this time. I think the 
exact term you're looking for is ``holier-than-thou.''

I'm going to take a bag of minutes that I don't really have spare to 
weigh in here: a list has a purpose, sometimes several purposes.

? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ?
?                                                   ?
?    What is the purpose of this particular list    ?
?                                                   ?
? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ?

The OVERT reasons that I see are:

(1) to help Linux newbies

(2) to get expert Linux opinions

(3) to co-ordinate the activities of the group

(3a) to announce important events

Purposes 3 and 3a take so little traffic that they don't really enter 
into the discussion. Purpose 2 also takes relatively little traffic, but 
has an important side-effect:

     NEWBIES LEARN FROM THE EXPERT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
     EVEN WHEN THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND IT ALL

Purpose 1 also has an important side effect, especially vital given that 
real expertise of any kind is not measured by a number, a linear 
measure, or a measure in any reasonably small number of dimensions:

     EVERYBODY IS A NEWBIE IN SOME AREA SO
     EXPERTS LEARN FROM NEWBIE QUESTIONS *AND*
     EXPERTS LEARN BY CRYSTALLISING THEIR KNOWLEDGE
     TO ANSWER A NEWBIE QUESTION

So when you think about it, the list only works really well *because* it 
has both newbies and experts in it. So what do you do about traffic that 
you don't understand, don't like or don't want?

I have this fabulous technique, very simple, it works every time:

     I  G  N  O  R  E     I  T

...and yes, this can to some degree be automated. A good topic would be 
a semi-automated ignore-this-thread filter, where you do something like 
reply to a special address in your mail server, and for three months any 
post headed by a similar Subject line is redirected to your bit-bucket, 
never to disturb your peace.

Until there is a specific purpose (say, co-ordination between a limited 
number of organisers/participants in a specific event or project, *not* 
simply handing out clubby warm fuzzies and mutual back-slapping) that 
obviously justifies a separate, time-limited list, please leave the list 
*alone*. And can we please add something like this email to the PLUG FAQ?

-- 
An employer once said, "What if I train my people and they leave?"
I say, "What if you don't train them... and they stay...?"