[tlug] Re: I'd like to help TLUG, but...

["Shannon Jacobs" <shannon.jacobs@example.com>]

> Date: Thu, 3 May 2007 13:23:10 +0900
> From: "Pietro Zuco" <drzuco@example.com>

Mostly I want to thank you for your kind response and Mr Israel for
his neutral one. The others seemed variously non-constructive,
defensive, and/or simply hostile. I noticed something about
recommending a Mac in there, which I take as downright offensive...

[One of my typical digressions: There was actually a period when I
recommended Macs for newbies. Then I spent a few years teaching a few
hundred newbies on Macs, and I realized that the Apple closed-box
philosophy is fundamentally a dead end (which didn't keep Microsoft
from adopting it for the money). Right now, I think it might be best
for newbies to start with Linux, though I'm doubtful if that should be
Ubuntu, since Ubuntu is moving to a closed-box philosophy... Perhaps
DOS or CP/M would be the best first OS? In my early years in Japan, I
helped teach several thousand newbies to use DOS... I'd wager they've
gone farther than the ones that started on Macs.]

In spite of your [Mr Zuco's] kindness, I do not fully agree with
several of your comments (and I did read them carefully). For example,
I'd cite Berkeley over Neo in relation to solipsism. However, I really
don't want to get drawn into a lengthy debate. I guess the bottom line
is that TLUG doesn't seem to be worth much more of my time... I felt
obliged to look at the responses to my comments, but I basically
regard the first post on this Subject: as parting remarks, and my plan
is to unsubscribe as soon as would be polite.

By the way, I do think I've already tried most of your suggestions in
this mailing list and at the meetings, and quite sincerely. There were
a couple of successes, and I learned a couple of things. Possible that
I even helped someone in some way. I haven't really been keeping
precise score.

I think you hit the nail on the head most directly with your
time-related comments. We're all busy, we all have a measly 24 hours
to the day, and we all have to pick and choose how we spend our
precious and limited time. I spend much of my working time with
computer people, and I like them well enough, etc., but outside of
work... Well, as regards Linux, I've found other resources to be more
helpful, and as regards socializing, I also have alternatives.

There ought to be a self-referential joke here about "lack of social
skills is not an actual personality". Recursive humor is difficult...
However, from my perspective, I think much of the 'problem' is simply
that I do write so clearly and even forcefully. When writing on my own
behalf it tends to sound like holy writ, even when I'm just tossing
out a few random thoughts for people to play with. However, I've
tossed a number of thoughts into this mailing list, and most of the
reactions have not seemed playful. Hmm... Perhaps the punchline of the
joke is that I make a good living by my ability to help *OTHER* people
write clearly in English--but that's how published research papers are
supposed to sound, eh?