LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: behoffski <behoffski@grouse.com.au>
  To  : linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au
  Date: Sun, 09 May 1999 20:50:01 +0930

Apology and explanation...

Some people missed the hyperbole in my last message.  If you 
were offended, my apology.  

Underpinning the message was a serious idea, however: It is 
good manners to use correct grammar and punctuation when 
conversing with others, even where the interface is as 
impersonal as an e-mail window on a terminal.  

If you think that I'm being too picky, consider this: 
When using any computer, correct punctuation and 
capitalisation is essential in most tasks.  Try typing "man x11" 
(Enter) and see how much response you get.  So obviously, you're 
willing to learn the rules and play the game when conversing 
with the computer: How about treating people with the same 
respect?  

Style may be amusing, and may help you identify with a 
group of people you like.  That's okay, but please tailor 
the style to fit the group you're sending to.  In the case 
of a group like LinuxSA, a conflicting style just makes it 
harder to tune into the content of the message, and makes 
it more likely that people will switch off.  There's a lot 
of junk on the 'net, so people have learned to filter out 
irrelevant-looking messages very quickly.  It's your own 
misfortune if your style leads to people tuning out.  There 
is no blame attached to this: it's merely a fact of life.  

At heart in using computers is communication: Always strive 
to improve your communication skills at all levels: it will 
pay huge dividends both in conversing with computers and 
in conversing with people.  

cheers,

Brenton

[Incidentally, I agree that a "newbies" list would be a bad
thing.  Also, I'm certainly not an expert in Linux, though I 
do have some experience in some other areas.]  

-- 
behoffski (Brenton Hoff) | Software Engineer, Grouse Software
behoffski@grouse.com.au  | http://www.grouse.com.au/

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