Bill,
Last night I spent some time pondering why this whole situation had created such enormous ill-will (understatement!)and I wish I could say I had a blinding revelation that clarified it. I can't.
I think your efforts at bringing some semblance of civility to the discussion are commendable. It was an astonishing experience to be so viciously attacked bt Joseph yesterday on my first posting . I was trying to point out that the Coffee Shop was a reasonable attempt to deal with off-topic posting, not a place for the emotionally disturbed, as Joseph rather nastily implied. Also, on the threads I frequent, most people were pretty thoughtful about typing "Off-topic" at the top of their message. From there, no matter what I tried to say, Joseph wouldn't let up. (And I admit I deteriorated too). He has done your "side" far more harm than any other person as he had nothing to add to the conversation but meanness. The fact that you and he are perceived as partners is unfortunate for you.
If your thread was designed only to deal with the technical challenges, then that should have been stated up front. I make no claims to understanding any of that and would never have posted at all. If it was meant for philosophical discussion, then what has gone on is juvenile at best, and maliciously destructive at worst, and I'm sorry I was ever a part of it in any way.
By yesterday afternoon, the situation had become a "pissing contest" between you and Paul over technical expertise. Silly. The only ones who matter on this are the SI powers. Let them decide what's feasible and affordable. Don't get into ridiculous "Mine is bigger than yours" discussions when the views have already been so polarized. What a no-winner.
If the purpose was discussion, then Joseph's statement that this was a fait accompli was guaranteed to incite. If this is true, then there is no purpose to the thread. Let SI announce their intentions. They have been astonishingly silent during all this. Your original post seemed to be a personal request for some means of controlling irrelevant posting. Later, the emphasis became SI is going to do this regardless, with some strange intimations of "business" being the motivating force. Which is it? Who wants this? What is the driving force behind this-you or SI? Let SI state their philosophy once again.
I'll go on record as saying that I have no objection to a client-side kill. It matters not at all to me if someone wants to screen his own input from his own computer. I have, however, very strong objections to ANYone else having the ability to delete or control other people's posts in any way.
Why are you so deeply invested in this? Why not let SI deal with the problem now? Why is this worth what you have described to us? A few posts from Joseph were enough to remind me that there is no purpose and nothing to be gained in dealing with that kind of personality. Do you believe that you're accomplishing anything at this point?
The egos involved in this are impressive--and my guess is that those strong egos are why we are successful, why we are independent and, unfortunately, why we have conflict. Thanks for coming to Feelings and explaining your position. And come back anytime to relax. We're actually an interesting group to play with.
I truly hope this is resolved without further bloodshed and I wish you the best.
penni |
