Dead List Walking

[Douglas Pollard]

On 04/19/2011 07:44 PM, Michael Haney wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 7:34 PM, Mike Basinger<mike.basinger at ubuntu.com>  wrote:
>> The CC is not in a "out to get you mindset" if that is what you mean.  If thing get out of hand here now, I will put the list on the moderation until the list in closed.
>>
>> Mike
>>
> To make it short, closing down Sounder is a Bad Idea.
>
> You can claim the decision wasn't emotionally motivated or a political
> decision all you want but its what the community will "think the
> reasons were" that counts.  The wise and more level headed decisions
> would be to moderate the Sounder list than to close it completely.
> That way the CC could avoid the "appearance" of impropriety and not
> loose any of its credibility with the community.  As it is, word will
> spread and there will be rumors and rumors are very hard to stamp out.
>
> Canonical is causing more trouble for itself by closing Sounder than
> they are resolving any issues.  In other words, this decision will
> come back to haunt you.
>
  Well I am sure sorry to see this.  Off topic is likely the biggest 
problem with e-mail lists. Most list don't allow the group to stray of 
topic.  This means that arguments generally can't go anywhere or settle 
anything. A list that allows real destructive flaming and one that allow 
absolutely no off topic always fail. These will close because it 
frustrating to not be able to carry and argument through and the same 
for not being able start an argument at all. Flaming does not address 
the subject but instead disgusts everyone and eventually the flamer. 
Nobody gets much satisfaction out of either one. Very few arguments can 
stay on a strict topic and achieve anything so authority is need to 
bring it back to some resemblance to topic.  A list can't be a 
conversation list without conversation and that can't exist without some 
argument.  Set five people in a circle talking and an argument will 
break out, if it doesn't, tomorrow someone will say those guys don't 
talk about anything and he won't be back and the next day, and next day.
     I was very happy to find Sounder and I thought I had found a place 
for discussion.   Discussion where everyone agrees is less than 
worthless. Sounder has been a place to feel a part of a community with 
varied as well as Ubuntu interests.   I think a few were aggravated 
simply by their lack of control and there was a small meeting and most 
only had to agree. That's always easy and never good. Closing the list 
is not a solution it is a failure.
     My thinking is that a conversation list needs a certain amount of 
guidance to keep it within some boundary but it should not be too heavy 
handed as this decision seems to me to be.  I feel as though though this 
community is being bullied and I don't like it when Government does it. 
I don't like it when religion does it and I don't like it when my 
software group does it.  I will find some place to carry on conversation 
on line. It just probobly won't be an ubuntu group if there is none to 
talk on.   All I can say is I hope this group made as much difference to 
some others as it did for me.           Doug