using slang

[Bart Silverstrim]

Pierre Frenkiel wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Jun 2008, Steve Lamb wrote:
> 
>>     Erm, slang is used all the time in technical discussions.  It is what
>> makes technical discussions possible without having to spend 50 minutes
>> spelling everything out.  Part of engaging in technical discussions, in ANY
>> field, is learning the slang.
> 
>    I visited, once again,
>        http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community/mailinglists/etiquette
>    and didn't see such a thing.  Do you suggest to add it?
>    Who would you convince that writing "P.I.T.A." saves 50 minutes?
>    I never heard that insulting sombody saves time!

I overheard someone once say, "I could spend thirty minutes explaining 
why this won't work, or I could just sum it up; you're a dumbass."

PITA is just a one-off to keep from saying ass, in all likelihood...

Last, my pedantic side would be remiss to point out that I don't think 
it's slang being used in technical conversations; I belive it's jargon.

>    There is exactly the same problem in international conferences, where
>    a few people speak in a way which makes them impossible to understand
>    to more than half of the audience.

Well, that's silly. It's because half the audience doesn't speak French.

>    to come back to the "forget hardy" thread, some people should obviously
>    read the "ubuntu code of conduct" (http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct)
>    and in particular this:
> 
>      Be respectful. The Ubuntu community and its members treat one another
>      with respect. Everyone can make a valuable contribution to Ubuntu. We
>      may not always agree, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behaviour
>      and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then,
>      but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It's
>      important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable
>      or threatened is not a productive one. We expect members of the Ubuntu
>      community to be respectful when dealing with other contributors as well
>      as with people outside the Ubuntu project, and with users of Ubuntu.
> 
>     For me, "be respectful" implies "try to be understood by everybody"

It's a two way street, and some act out in the first place and then 
pretend to be the victim when they get a reaction from people. It's a 
technical forum, not a Martha Stewart fan forum, and people here are 
normally more focused on asking about and solving problems with Ubuntu. 
I think that slips in etiquette, on occasion, can be forgiven. It's the 
once that habitually or intentionally insult others to drive them away 
that the net nannies should sic themselves on.

But that's just my opinion.