From: mtachiba@rkna50.riken.go.jp (Masahiko Tachibana)
Subject: Re: About Fj.life.in-japan CFV[Pidgin English]
Organization: Institute of Physical & Chemical Research (RIKEN) Saitama,Japan
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 03:04:02 GMT

Kon-nichi-wa.  

In article <2400@aegis.or.jp> davidg@aegis.or.jp (Dave McLane) writes:
>
>I have the totally unfounded suspicion that the discussion is to go
>on and on (and on and on and on and on) until there is some kind of
>agreement before the vote is taken. Otherwise I can't imagine what
>they are talking about for so long. And of course, since it's all in
>Japanese, many of the people which the newsgroup is (allegedly) for
>are excluded. 
>
>>I appreciate very much everybody being so nice to be worried
>>with foreigners' matters in japan, but why don't leave further
>>discussions to be done IN fj.life.in-japan? (If approved, of
>>course...) It's very tiresome to see all this discussion in
>>Japanese about a group supposely focused for foreigners. 
>
>I appreciate you're posting in English so there is something
>for me to read. 
>
>Thanks,
>
>Dave

It is far beyond my ability to explain all the discussions for the creation 
of fj.life.in-japan.  I'll post some brief summaries on my articles and
some of the follow-up articles on a Subject: Is fj kind to minorities


1) I think majorities of fj now is Japanese majoring information-science.
   I am not majoring information science, so in that sence I am a minority
   in fj.  From a minority's viewpoint, I think fj now is not kind to
   minorities.  This I think comes from the fact that new newsgroup like
   fj.windows.ms was easily created but fj.sci.medical or fj.life.in-japan
   are not.
   (Mr. Ohta disagreed because news system is for majorities and for minori-
   ties you have mailing-lists.)  

2) I read the foreword on "Guidelines on the use of JUNET", where I found
   the spirit of the founders of fj is that information science is to 
   dedicate various fields of science, culture, arts, etc. as an infra-
   structure in the future.  I want to insist that everyone committing 
   the creation of newsgroups keeps this spirit in mind.
   (From this point of view, I argued against Mr. Ohta if he thinks of 
   majorities as fixed matter, the thought will work as an inihibitor
   for the expansion of fj as literally major media)

3) On the creation of new newsgroup which is expected to introduce new
   fields or attendants to fj, the past achievements must not be heavily
   considered.
   (On this opinion, Mr. Nakashima posted agreements.  This para is
   written as what he writes in one of the articles)

4) As for fj.life.in-japan, some are anxious about almost all the commun-
   ication are done in English, But we already know someone whose mother 
   tongue is Portuguese has no other means to communicate in English here
   in fj.  If we do not let a man like him join us, we cannot help being
   criticized as fj is not kind to minorities.
   (Mr. Hatano writes he wonders if it is suitable for them foreigners to 
   create the newsgroup only for them.
   I wrote to his opinion that some won't need it and some need it.
   Then we should make it because there are some who need it.)

I hope this summary would have neither mis-translation nor mis-understanding.

--
$B5L(B  $B2mI'(B (Tachibana Masahiko)			mtachiba@rkna50.riken.go.jp
$BM}2=3X8&5f=jM-5!6bB02=3X8&5f<<(B			Tel. 048-462-1111 ext.3513
Inst.Phys.Chem.Res.,Lab.Organometal.Chem. 	Fax  048-462-4665

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