From: jmd@cube.handheld.com
Subject: Re: Avoid RightBrain (was: Re: PasteUp vs PageMaker vs Quark...)
Reply-To: jmd@cube.handheld.com
Organization: Hand Held Products, Inc.
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1992 16:01:30 GMT

> glenn@rightbrain.com (Glenn Reid) writes:
> 
> >My sense is that people are overreacting somewhat, but let me just say
> >this in response to those of you who are advocating "Avoid RightBrain"
> >or "Boycott RightBrain" or whatever:  first of all, we're not Pillsbury
> >or Carnation, and a boycott is not just a nuisance, it's a big deal.  Do
> >you really think that's the right way to handle an inappropriate net
> >posting, or are you just still in college?
> 
> Very dimplomatic of you.  I suppose making digs on the college students
> won't lose you any sales though, so what the hell.
> 
I must say I  agree with Glenn here.  Just look at the 'sides', and the 
domains they tend post from.

> >Please: send us mail to complain; we listen to you.
> 
> No, you obviously don't.  I think that has been demonstrated.

Look up `listen'.  He did not say he would agree to your demands.  He cannot possibly 
please all mailers.  Get a broader vlew.

> 
> >And one final thing: USENET is an anarchy.  There is no police force,
> >barely any guidelines, and certainly no central authority.  Your opinions
> >are just opinions, and so are ours.  We pay for our news feed and we obey
> >the laws.  We have observed over time that there are approximately 10,000
> >"silent" readers for every vocal poster, and that the vast majority of
> >people who send us Email DO NOT AGREE with the five or six people who
> >flame constantly on the net.
> 
> We all know this.  It is not a matter of rules or laws or anything else.
> Even if the posts in news.announce.newuser mentioned nothing of blatant
> commercial advertising on the net, I would still ask that you refrain
> from posting them, and also label RTF posts as such, not so much that
> it would be "following the rules", but out of consideration of your fellow
> USENETters.  The unlabelled RTF post thing is simply a major nuisance
> for many of us with wimpy data feeds.  I would think being UUCP that
> you might understand that.
> 

Why do you pay-per-byters always DEMAND that the rest of us cater to your 
chosen situation?  On the one hand, it is your choice of how to connect, and 
on the other hand,  you would get more sympathy (from me, at least) if you weren't 
so demanding about it all.  I like the NeXT and DPS.  I don't see why I should therefore
be happy with a command-line newreader, or the style of output it tends to product.  I 
like style, expression, etc., in messages.  OTHERWISE, WHY DON'T WE ALL JUST 
USE BAUDOT AND IT'S UPPERCASE ONLY CHARACTER SET.  I've caught you rn 
folks adding `expression' to your posts with the use of upper and lowercase, why 
should we stop there?

> >At the moment, we have agreed to abide by the common opinion posted to
> >the net, even though it runs counter to most of the feedback we've gotten
> >from people who don't like to post to the net.  It's important that you
> >all consider this, because it means that the VOCAL FEW decide your fate,
> >rather than the silent majority.  A 19k posting that provides actual
> >information is completely lost in the noise compared to USENET as a whole,
> >and even compared to this newsgroup.  A handful of people (essentially
> >all of them in college, for what it's worth) have decided that we are
> >evil and wanton in our disregard for the net rules, when in reality it is
> >not the least bit clear what is right and wrong.
> 
> No, you're evil and wanton because you show no consideration for other
> folks.  That's my complaint.  Others may think differently.  

Indeed we do!  

> >Anyway, I'm slightly irritated, and I apologize for my tone, but I get
> >tired of a bunch of 19-year-olds with too much time on their hands
> >deciding that the future of USENET belongs to them, while dozens to
> >hundreds of people who pay for their news feeds send us mail thanking
> >us for providing useful information.  Apologies to those of you who are
> >over 19, who have already graduated, and who have also legitimately
> >complained.  It is you to whom we are responding.
> 
> This attitude sucks. 

Perhaps the truth just hurts, sometimes.

> -- 
> Tim McClarren     | "...a bajillion brilliant Jobsian lithium licks."
> timm@ncsa.uiuc.edu|
> (217)244-0015     |
> 

Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy