From: Bob Stout 

On 9 Nov 2003 Charles.Angelich!1.106.2000.0{at}filegate.net wrote:

> I already _am_ invisible here, haven't you noticed? ;-)

That I received this proves otherwise.

> On FIDO spite is quite a motivator AFAIK. ;-)

Charles, a couple of points...

1.  As a matter of principle, I try not to let spite motivate me. I'm
    usually reasonably successful.

2.  If I were feeling spiteful toward you, I'd simply enter your name into
    the mailing list software as someone not to allow to post. Even when
    I'm feeling spiteful, I'm still lazy enough not to do anything which
    requires extra work. Besides, it doesn't count as spite since, AFAIK,
    you'd be just as happy remaining isolated on the Fido side of the
    gateway, with no access to the Internet side of things.

> RBS> If the format causes problems with your, or anyone else's,
> RBS> OLR, now would be a good time to let us know so things can
> RBS> be tuned to everyone's benefit.
>
> I just did. Later in this same message your reply is a bit different.

I forwarded your message to Janis. She's the one who proposed the means of
identifying Fidonet users to the mailing list. Perhaps she can up with an
alternate solution which will address your concerns. Or perhaps not - the
addressing rules of Fido and Internet mail are sufficiently different to
create problems for any gateway solution.

On the Internet side of things, all Jon and I have to do is establish the
gateway, and the messages come through with whatever naming scheme Janis
has set up on her side of the gateway.

> > > If the arrangement makes Janis, Jon, and Bob happy them I am
> > > happy.
>
> RBS> Actually, first of all, it had to have Tom's blessing since
> RBS> he's the Fidonet C_Echo moderator. He's the one who had the
> RBS> final say whether to proceed or not. I asked about it and
> RBS> he agreed, so the project moved forward. The link is just
> RBS> as easy (a lot easier, as it turns out) to dissolve than it
> RBS> was to set up in the first place. It will remain in place
> RBS> ad long as it has has the C_Echo moderator's support. If
> RBS> you'd like to change it, then run for the moderator's job.
>
> First you say people here should express their views then you go for the
> "cheap shot" that I should be the moderator or my opinions are
> meaningless. As I told you when I declined to be the moderator of the
> DOS portion of _your_ forum at snippets, I seek no position or title and
> have no 'group' or 'club' and don't intend to start one.

Hardly a "cheap shot". Your views are not meaningless, and should
be given equal weight as any other Fido members. However, the ultimate
decision responsibility rests with the Fido C_Echo moderator. Once he's
heard your views and those of the other Fido members, he should (and did)
act as he thought best. I was no part of the decision process other than to
offer an alternative to the Yahoo groups gateway which was unreliable and
carried ads. Given that reality, the only way you could effect change would
be to become the decision maker yourself.

Each of us chooses the roles we play in life. You've apparently made the
conscious decision to play the role of outsider, untainted by the system.
There's nothing wrong with that, but you still have to realize that
assuming such a posture renders you relatively impotent at effecting
significant change.

And, since you chose to make our personal email public (a significant
breach of nettiquette, but I'm OK with it), I offered you the job of
moderating the DOS group primarily because of your obvious expertise, but
also as a way of burying the hatchet from our previous encounters. You
declined and I respect that decision, however I should also add that it was
*not* a offer to form your own private "club", but simply a
service job to share your knowledge and experience for the benefit of
others, using your best judgment to optimize a S/N ratio conducive to the
free flow of ideas and information. That's what moderators do.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Consulting: http://www.MicroFirm.biz/ Web graphics development:
http://Image-Magicians.com/ Software archives:
http://snippets.snippets.org/
  c.snippets.org/   cpp.snippets.org/      java.snippets.org/
  d.snippets.org/   python.snippets.org/   perl.snippets.org/
  dos.snippets.org/ embedded.snippets.org/ apps.snippets.org/
Audio and loudspeaker design:
  http://LDSG.snippets.org/   http://www.diyspeakers.net/

--- BBBS/LiI v4.01 Flag-5