[plug] unsubscibe (newbie's perspective)

[Mike]

At 10:06 AM 26/3/2001 +0800, Christian <christian at amnet.net.au> wrote:
>On Mon, Mar 26, 2001 at 01:10:27AM +0000, Mike wrote:
> 
>> a.	Computers can be programmed to perform various tasks,
>> 	easy to program it to handle unsub requests from the list
>> 	members as well as via an admin list. Simple logic could
>> 	handle the very requests (and several exceptions) that
>> 	have recently occured.
>
>So what happens when someone posts a question to the list and
>inadvertently contains the word "unsubscribe" either in its subject line
>or main body?  They get themselves unsubscribed from the list.

Easy, try this (for a start) :-
a.	Don't do unsub if 're' or 're:' at front
b.	Don't do unsub if words after unsubscribe (spelling variants)
c.	Don't do unsub if person is active member (I leave that
	determination up to the admin)
d.	Look up their initial sub entry, did they sub as advanced
	or general - take appropriate action dependent on that,

An appropriate combination of above should handle the *BULK* of these
issues.

>  Unless
>you can provide an answer or contra-argument to this then you are just
>wasting time by re-iterating old arguments that have been raised and
>rejected previously.

Your impolite presumption is not helpful, we are discussing this
maturely I hope and not looking to get terse for the heck of it !
Beside its in a different context with different people therefore
on a discussion group and doesn't waste time.

>> c.	Linux is slowly getting some recognition and we need all the
>> 	newbies we can get and then some more, the last thing you
>> 	want to do is restrict in any way acess to learning and
>> 	discussing with others linux and its issues.
>> 	IMNSHO: REstricting subscriptions is like restricting education
>> 	(which should be totally free - and I'm a capitalist).
>
>Why do we need "all the newbies we can get and then some more"?  As a
>capitalist do you equate newbies with wealth and thus want to get more
>of them?

I added that because traditionally people think those that propose
free education are socialists and I ain't a socialist.

>  No one is proposing restricting subscriptions.

Someone did - I read it on this list.

>  Simply
>proposing that making them *harder* might help.

No, you might lose talented people and not ever know it, a good faq would
help the general philosophy of this group and linux per se'.

>  Making them harder
>simply makes people who want to subscribe think *harder*.

In which context, getting into a group or learning ?
FYI: Thinking is relational and has contextual constructs.

>  It doesn't
>prevent them from actually subscribing at all.  If a particular
>individual doesn't end up subscribing because of this then either a)
>they are really not very bright at all or b) they simply don't have the
>patience/perserverance. 

This assumes a static and flawed model of 'bright' !

> For either of these cases then they don't stand
>a chance using Linux so we've lost nothing.  You might see this as
>elitism but it's not.  It is simply stating the facts. Linux requires a
>(very) basic level of intelligence and plenty of perseverance.

Again - this model is flawed and assumes a static intelligence/experience
level, groups/institutions create division and lost opportunity whenever
they might adhere to a static model,

>
>> Note:	To address c above we need a really broad based FAQ, from
>> 	messages contributed by this local group - vectoring to
>> 	a general fax is just plain lazy and won't be as dynamic
>> 	illustrating how people can work together - part of the
>> 	evolution of linux <hrrmm>
>
>Would it help you to trim your quoted replies? :-)

Sure - if it were the case many posters were quoted, if you will observe
I left *one* and original quoted text as it offered contextual assistance.

I notice several people leave lots and lots of quoted text from time to
time - any particular reason you criticised me and not others ?





Kind Regards  ~`:o)

Mike Massen
Network Power Systems
Perth, Western Australia  Ph/Fx +61 8 9444 8961 
Products/Personal/Client web area at http://www.iinet.net.au/~erazmus/Power
 (Current pics - trip to Malaysia to install equipment in jungle power site)

Mods to a VL-Turbo, cooling system pressuriser, twin tyres etc (pics only)
My pics    http://www.iinet.net.au/~erazmus/Twin_tyre_vehicle
Editorial  http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/2195/ttyreopinion.html

Some say there is no magic but, all things begin with thought then it becomes
academic, then some poor slob works out a practical way to implement all that
theory, this is called Engineering - for most people another form of magic.