[OT rude or not, a different opinion] -Re: Beta 8.10 released

[Thorny]

On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:19:20 -0700, Emanoil Kotsev wrote:
> I accept your arguments and will pay more attention in future. IT was
> not ment to be _that_ rude as you or someone else might understood it.
> 
> 
Just to interject an opinion which appears to be counter to what you have
been getting.

I am an English as first language speaker. I did not interpret what you
said (wrote) as rude and, in my view, certainly not any ruder than some of
the things that were replied to you. If you asked me if I got the point, I
would have answered in the affirmative or asked for clarification but it
is easy for me to say that since I wasn't part of the discussion. I think,
did you get the point, should mean, did you get the point?

I believe that in newsgroups (and lists and forums) everyone should try
very hard to understand what the poster is meaning by paying careful
attention to the context and try very hard to keep their own
preconceptions and emotions out of things. Similar to the way we ignore
spelling errors or differences. I know that it is easier to write that
advice than it is to follow it. Since many of us are here to help or get
help with technical issues, the most productive suggestion is to leave
ones ego out of ones reading and replying. The Internet is littered with
online arguments that can be traced back to hurt feelings or
misconceptions and nobody ever really "wins", although often the most
aggressive poster drives others away. Go to a newsgroup that is frequented
by trolls if examples are necessary. ...or, a developers list just
previous to a vote.

It's certainly true that many of the brightest troubleshooting minds are
not the best at social conversation and often don't take well to
disagreement and/or respond to argument curtly. There are very bright
people who can't read emotion "between-the-lines" and certainly also those
who see emotion which isn't there. I think it's correct that it's partly
cultural. Also situational, think how differently we perceive things if we
are personally angry or afraid at the moment.

Just to be clear, I apologise if I sound patronising, I'm as susceptible
to arguments as anyone else. I've been around a long time and none of this
is new. As far as I'm concerned, if you use the English words correctly
(as per the dictionary definition) we English speakers should not take you
to task because we see something else in it, especially when we recognise
that you are not a native English speaker. In my opinion, one needs the
intention to be rude in order to be rude and it did not appear to me that
you intended that, what it looked (sounded/read) like to me was
frustration.

It seems to me that you managed to get what you wanted out of the posts
regardless of misunderstandings, and we all had the benefit of the
discussion to be exposed to others ideas and opinions...that's the point
that matters.