An observation: [was Re: Oliveti ETV 260]

A message in the list proceeded as follows: I feel obligated to drop in a comment here, for reasons that will be clear in a moment. The initial part of this message appeared in the list at my suggestion. This person sent me an email regarding disposition of the system he has and inquiring if I would be interested in it, but I had to decline in part because of where the unit is (in the UK). I suggested to him (as I have to many others) that he might drop a line to the mailing list in an attempt to locate someone closer who would be interested in obtaining the unit. That said, (and while NOT trying to get this perceived as a 'flame') the response shown above to the message might not be received in the same manner by someone outside of the 'group' as it would be someone who has been here for a while and has been exposed to the communal 'sense of humour'. In the same light, I noted that his posting had some embedded HTML which is a frequent source of flamage around the group. Again, let me point out that this person is likely unfamiliar with the environment here and as such would be unfamililar with the communal 'preferences' as regularly expressed. Regardless of the practices of the 'regulars' around here, directly or indirectly we are (somewhat) minor participants in the global electronic 'community', and need to keep in mind that there are no universally accepted 'rules of conduct', either with regard to posting style or content. Not everyone who may venture in here may have the same affection for the 'old ways' as we do, or understand why 'rich text' email tweaks some people off so dramatically. Heck, if they only have email access from an office system, they may not have a choice in how it is configured! With prices on the sort of gear that we are seeking seemingly caught in an alarming upward spiral, is is probably in our best interests to not inadvertantly drive anyone away through a flippant comment or flame mail on a perceived breach of list 'etiquette' that they may not be aware of. Lets at least try to be a bit more patient with a name that you are not familiar with... The 'regulars' on the other hand are by now either fairly 'flame' proof, or sufficiently blistered so as not to notice... B^} And by the way... a direct response (or at least a 'cc') is also probably a good idea when responding to an unfamililar name offering goodies... Not everyone who drops a message in our direction will be a 'subscriber'. ...ever seeking the next 'Holy Grail' of computing... -jim --- jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174