iff Debian (Re: [PLUG] regarding deleting user)

Jason Dagit dagit at engr.orst.edu
Wed Aug 21 00:07:15 UTC 2002


On Tue, 20 Aug 2002, Russ Johnson wrote:

> At 03:41 PM 8/20/2002 -0700, you wrote:
> >According to that definition, I think bigot is really the best descriptor.
>
> I'd disagree, simply because it's not a matter of something being
> obsoleted. There's no advantage (IMNSHO) between Debian, Redhat, SuSE,
> Turbo, etc.

I think the part about it being obsoleted was a minor, minor part.  None
of the other definitions of bigot included it.  I picked the definition
because it applied to technology, and the quirks that us geeks have.
Perhaps I misunderstood it.

> It's as bad as a wrong answer, because you've just answered a question
> that wasn't asked. We've had discussions here on this list about giving
> distribution specific answers when the distribution is known and the
> answer doesn't apply to that distribution. If I ask a question about how
> something is installed with RPM, and Karl pipes up with "apt-get...",
> that doesn't help me, and is a waste of bandwidth.  Almost as much as
> this message is a waste. Putting "iff debian" in the subject just makes
> it that much more of a zealot post. If your instructor at PSU asked a
> question on how to do something in Solaris, and you gave the correct
> answer for HP-UX, but it was wrong for Solaris, would this not be
> counted wrong on a test?

I got to OSU, but the point still holds, yes it would be wrong.  But this
isn't about exams and many times RH users have talked about this and that
and I thought, "gosh, but I use debian, how would I do that?" and before I
can ask, Karl told us.  The other thing, is that it was the simplicity of
solution (eg, apt) that made me want to try debian.  After I was using it
I found other reasons, such as moral (RH is a corporation, debian is more
GNU and FSF oriented).  But if people like Karl hadn't spoken up I would
have missed out on a lot in the past.

>
> When I become a bigot because I refuse to listen to someone, something is
> wrong. I've a fairly open mind, but some of the things that are way out
> there just don't deserve my time. If I'm a bigot because I refuse to
> consider them (and I did consider them at one time...) then something is
> really really wrong with our political correctness... Moreso than I've
> thought in the past.

I can't argue with that.  You're right.

Jason





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