Hi.
Here is my take on what is suitable discussion for the list. It seems
clear to me that computers in today's world are potentially as much a part
of the ham shack as a power supply would be. Technically, a power supply
is not a piece of radio equipment, yet most of us use one and hardly anyone
would view a discussion about a power supply as being off topic. If
someone were having a problem with one, all of us that had any suggestions
for remedying it would feel free to comment.
Many of us use computers for logging, still others run digital modes with
them, compute antenna headings for satellite work, use echo link, etc. I
think the people who think that computers are off topic need to step back
and look at it with a more open mind. And, if you are having a problem
with the computer, you probably shouldn't title your message with "Off
Topic" because that just agitates the list cops.
Having said that, I also think that people need to use restraint in the
kinds of things they deal with on the computer. For example, I'd love to
know if any blind computer users have found a good screen reader friendly
Bible program that supports multiple translations, but I wouldn't post that
here because it is clearly not ham radio related. Please, if you are
tempted to reply to that, contact me off list.
Regarding the topic that was being hashed over, I saw a number of people
who actually had some very intelligent points to make, and I was actually
enjoying the discussion and learning something besides. Yes, I work in the
computer industry, and I still learn things from you guys from time to time.
Now, I will be the first to admit that there are topics on this list that
do not interest me. Personally, I couldn't care less about echo link. And
it gets a little tedious when a thread goes back and forth fifty times on a
subject for which I have no interest. But, you know what? That is the
nature of e-mail lists.
I personally think saying things like if we can't stick on topic then I'm
leaving the list is infantile and invites the kind of response that it
got. Just saying "Can we stick to the topic without threats would be
received very differently.
I have one more thing to say on this subject and then I will close and say
no more about it. The thing that makes me uncomfortable with this list is
that some people would have us be so circumspect about what we say that it
gets to a point where I might know the answer to a problem that someone is
having but I don't want to say anything because I don't know who is going
to jump down my throat over it. And, there is probably five other people
on the list who are looking at the responses because they don't know the
answer and are just as interested as the one who originally asked the opinion.
So my challenge is this. Can we do two things--be a little less picky and
exercise some good judgement about what we want to bring to the list?
73, de Lou K2LKK
Louis Kim Kline
A.R.S. K2LKK
Home e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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Work Telephone: (585) 697-5753
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