Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!mtunx!whuts!homxb!antique!cjp
From: cjp@antique.UUCP (Charles Poirier)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Death to binaries (was re: pictures in binaries)
Summary: have you hugged a binary today?
Message-ID: <2287@antique.UUCP>
Date: 16 Jun 88 23:13:41 GMT
References: <4398@gryphon.CTS.COM> <5560@xanth.cs.odu.edu> <2121@sugar.UUCP> <4456@killer.UUCP> <2124@sugar.UUCP>
Reply-To: vax135!cjp (Charles Poirier)
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 39

In article <2124@sugar.UUCP> peter@sugar.UUCP writes:
>I realise that there might well be a lot more people who can use binaries
>than sources, however we (yes, an editorial we) believe that the purpose
>of usenet is to support: first, UNIX programmers and users; second, programmers
>of other species of operating system; and third, everyone else.

From a stylistic point of view, this use of "we" rankles.  Peter is
(are?) not the editor or publisher of Usenet.  Who does he imply he is
speaking for here?  Using "we" strikes me as a cheap stab at multiplying
one's authority.

>Over in news.admin, Chuq is asking that all comp.sources be deleted except for
>comp.sources.unix. That is, he's advocating the reduction of Usenet to the
>first group only. I think that throwing the third group to the wolves first
>might save our skins.

This coming from a man who brought his own wolf?  ;-)  I say calm down;
that howling noise may just be one hysterical person.

>Again. Usenet is not a BBS. Usenet is a resource for programmers. Let's
>not lose sight of that.

That may be the justification used at Peter's host for those Usenet
phone bills, but I expect that there are many other parts of Usenet
that have a broader view.

Another very minor rankle here.  The person goes from the royal "we
believe" to the chummy "Let's not".  "We" means Peter, but "us" means
everyone else?  I feel like I'm being manipulated.

I guess what really gets to me is the elitist attitude that programmers
are supreme.  I am a programmer by the way, but I respect the rights of
"mere" users to have Usenet as a resource, too.  Thank you, here's the
soapbox back.

-- 
	Charles Poirier   (decvax,ucbvax,mcnc,attmail)!vax135!cjp

   "Docking complete...       Docking complete...       Docking complete..."