[PLUG] Conclusion to PDXLUG argument

Cliff Wells cwells at commandprompt.com
Tue Jan 20 12:34:02 UTC 2004


Dan Haskell wrote:

>I know the argument yesterday was painful to all involved but it was
>designed to send a specific set of messages. Given that they had blocked
>other channels of communication, it was necessary to do so in the PLUG
>forum. Once again, here are the points:
>
>1) Let PDXLUG know that this issue is not trivial to us.
>
>2) Remind PDXLUG know that we have a legal right to the name.
>
>3) Let PDXLUG know that the issue has not and will not go away until they
>"do the right thing".
>
>The messages have been sent. I want to thank everyone who participated. I
>also want to apologize to the PLUG members who found it intolerable.
>
>  
>
Dan,

Before you throw the gauntlet down again (and take us right back to day 
1, as you've just done), why don't you consider a more diplomatic 
approach.   We both know that Robby at least has made some attempts to 
pacify you despite misgivings about the whole deal.   While I'm loathe 
to speak for PDXLUG, it seems obvious that most people are a bit 
reactionary and don't take well to having demands placed on them.   I'd 
suggest that these are the counter-points:

1)  We think the issue is trivial.  This aspect will probably never be 
agreed on, so we can simply agree to disagree.

2)  PLUG has no legal right to anything.  Linux is a registered 
trademark of another entity <wink> and there is nothing to claim damages 
about even were it not (there is no money or misrepresentation involved; 
you might think the info about PLUG on pdxlug.org is insufficient, but I 
doubt a judge would agree with you).   But please feel free to waste 
everyone's money on lawyers or your breath on idle threats.

3) The "issue" would have probably gone away long ago if people such as 
yourself would simply approach the other side in a reasonably adult 
fashion and present your request as such and not as a demand.  As far as 
I'm concerned, and I suspect most others involved with PDXLUG, neither 
you nor anyone else in PLUG has any right to demand anything from 
PDXLUG.   As such your demands are bound to have the opposite of the 
intended effect.  The side that you fail to see is that PDXLUG feels 
*you* should "do the right thing" and concentrate on more serious 
issues, like why people find PLUG so annoying (hint).

In short, feel free to open the flamewar all over again if you like.   
I'll be a frequent contributor.  Or you can "do the right thing" and try 
to resolve the issue with Robby and PDXLUG in a respectful and 
considerate fashion.   Please don't bore me with "we've tried that" 
because you haven't.   We can sit here all day and post links to emails 
to prove our points or we can resolve the issue.  But I can assure you 
that any resolution *will* be a compromise and so far you and your 
compatriots haven't seemed willing to accept that.

Regards,
Cliff






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