I've been observing the list for awhile an I've tried to distill the
essence of what
appear to be the rules of protocol for this list.
I recognize one rule of conduct on this list which is very consistent.
Profanity, and racial, ethnic, or gender slurs have no appropriate
context and do not belong
on the TCLUG list. You are particularly rude and ignorant if you post
these things in a public
forum with your name attached to them.
The rest of this email is satire and very sharp. Forewarning is fair
warning. This may be the last time
I'm allowed to post to the list. I've also thrown in a mission
statement as a bonus. The only thought
I ask of you is why protocols might have value. You might think a bunch
of sysadmins might understand
that already. If anyone wants to ask I'll give you my answer. Please
exit now lest you be drawn into a
senseless debate.
TCLUG Mission statement
TCLUG exists for the purpose of exchanging email among members who are,
were, or might
sometime in the future have some interest in Linux unless they are,
were, or might be sometime
in the future a windows user in which case Linux would not be
appropriate for them. We could care
less about anyone suspecting we might be a group of dedicated
professionals, especially windows
users who will never understand our special need for the command line
and remote administration.
LIST PROTOCOL
1) Any posting to the list is exceptable as long as you don't mind being
flamed for it.
2) It is OK to flame any posting to the list as long you don't mind
being reprimanded for it.
3) Bad grammar, poor sentence structure, and indecipherable spelling are
a natural consequence of
using email too much for communication - get used to it.
4) Any posting that someone might think is not about Linux should be
marked OT or off topic or something
similar.
5) If you feel it is essential to terminate a thread simply place the
word "Hitler" somewhere in the body
of your text. This will not work but at least you have done your
part.
6) If you need help with a problem describe it in as little detail as
possible. This will make others feel less obligated to provide a
response. Even better just market it OT or off topic or something
similar.
Where you got the idea that Tclug existed to help people resolve
problems is already beyond me.
7) If you absolutely feel you have to reminisce or explain how you
spouse doesn't understand you
don't forget to mention how you always dreamed about getting linux to
run on that old toaster.
This way no one will think you are off topic or you could avoid the
problem by marking it OT or
off topic or something similar.
8) Post frequently so no one will think you are a lurker. Don't worry
about having anything relevant to
say, no one else does either. Try expressing some passionate feeling
you have about linux, it's a
spiritual healing, or you could avoid the problem by marking it OT
or off topic or something similar.
9) If you dislike a posting for any reason make up a protocol rule,
make it clear that everyone knows
the rule, and flame the offender. Remember this action is not really
related to linux so remember to
mark it OT or off topic or something similar.
10) If you have a question, and suspect that someone might consider it
stupid don't post it to the list.
Naturally "someone" WILL consider it stupid so do not post
questions. We do not have a SQ
designation that will allow people to filter it automatically. OT or
off topic or something similar
simply will not work in this case since many people want to read
those emails without having
to deal with your stupid question.
11) If you believe things such as goals, missions, etiquette, courtesy,
or protocol belong in a group of this
size find yourself another list. If you want some one who cares go
to Microsoft. They WANT people
to believe they care about you and they will gladly take your money.
And if anyone can't read the characters that go off the left of the
screen forget about them. they probably
are not important anyway. Or maybe you could change you browser
settings.
--
Paul Overby
xpoverby at attbi.com