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From: lwall@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Larry Wall)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Juvenile use of Followup-To header line
Message-ID: <2070@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Jun-85 15:16:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.2070
Posted: Wed Jun 12 15:16:47 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Jun-85 06:04:56 EDT
References: <146@epicen.UUCP> <5973@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Reply-To: lwall@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Larry Wall)
Distribution: net
Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica
Lines: 76
Summary: 

[Gag me with a soap opera.]

In article <5973@ucla-cs.ARPA> Alex Quilici, or someone purporting to be him,
attempts to flame someone's flame about his misuse of the Followup-To:
header line (got that?):

> Spare me the self-righteous bullshit, ok?

My oh my.  Aren't we good at flaming flames.  So very original.  So very
rude.  So very self-UNrighteous...

So very nauseating.

WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE TEACH THE POOR CHILD HOW TO FLAME?  He's giving UCLA
grad students a bad name.  I kind of like UCLA, but pretty soon everyone
is going to be of the opinion that students there aren't properly taught
how to be rude.  There IS a difference between mud-slinging and mud-bathing.

Maybe it's the proximity to the La Brea Tar Pits...

> We made a little bet here...

Meaning someone put you up to it?

> ...that some asshole would notice the followup line and
> complain to the whole net,

"alert" is the proper word, I believe.

> ...bothering every one in sight.

You're one to talk about bothering...

> And guess what, you win!  We also made a bet that most intelligent people
> would realize that this was a joke...

Most intelligent people know the proper newsgroup for jokes.  Hmmm, maybe I
should be sending this article to net.jokes.d...

> ...and not actually followup to those groups (both of which I read).  And
> no one has.  Except you.  Now don't you feel stupid, dumb-shit.

Is this sour grapes because nobody fell for your "joke"?  Including the
person you say did?  Tremendous grasp of logic here.

As one of the purveyors of netnews software, I feel at least partially
responsible for implementing the Followup-To: line.  Let me tell you
something.  When I implemented Followup-To:, *I* made a little bet with
myself that some persons of leisurely mental growth would think it funny
to use the line for obfuscational purposes.  Guess what, I win.  Ha, ha.
But I implemented it anyway because I felt the good would outweigh the harm.

Now if this were an isolated instance, Master Quilici, I would likely have
held my tongue.  Or my fingers, as the case may be.  People all around
the world will tell you that I am normally quite diplomatic.

Alas, though, you have demonstrated repeatedly that you don't know what
true flaming consists of.  Angels flame.  Demons burn.

The essence of flaming is to refine and cleanse, not to besmirch and hurt.
The true flamer hopes to improve the world, or at least some portion thereof.
Even the lowly individual trying to justify his right to blow smoke in other
peoples face is working for a cause, and his flame is thereby enobled.

But you, Master Quilici, seem to be interested only in burning.  Burn then,
in your own private hell, until the chaff is burnt away.  I truly hope that
something other than ash is left when you are done.  I will not label your
current behavior as "childish", for I fear you have already developed fully,
like an egg I once smelled.

Not "Just kidding..."

Flames welcome.  Pyromania to /dev/hell.

Larry Wall
{allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,sdcsvax}!sdcrdcf!lwall