[ale] Re: [OT] Re: [ale] Enough of the OT Crap!!

[rhiannen]

Considering things like the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television
Promotion Act conceivably will have an impact on free software, I
personally not only don't mind the OT conversations, I actually find
most of them informative and relevant, albeit circuitously.  

Then there's the far-reaching implications of attempts like TIPS
(McCarthy, anyone?) and Title 18, Part I > Chapter 47 > Sec. 1030 /
Chapter 121 > Sec. 2702 /& Chapter 119 > Sec. 2511 (respectively: Fraud
& related activity IN CONNECTION WITH COMPUTERS, who can snoop & when,
and who can snitch & to who(m).)  And what about the Cyber Electronic
Security Act which makes hobby level intercepting of unscrambled and
unencrypted, but supposedly private, radio communication a Federal
FELONY instead of its current status misdemeanor?  Federal felony
convictions mean losing the right to vote, to own firearms, to be
employed in a number of high level jobs and professions, to hold certain
professional licenses and permits, and important for certain readers of
this list, absolutely eliminates for life the possibility of holding any
kind of security clearance whatever (a recent change in the rules.)  

Granted, they may not have a *direct* relation, but what will happen to
Linux, Open Source, free software et al in this country if we allow
these types of restrictions, regulations, and legislation to continue
down that slope?  Ignored or unchecked, it may soon become illegal in
this country to discuss most open source code, or to own a computer that
doesn't have built in snoopware. It's much easier to dam the tributaries
than it is to dam the river.

An overwhelming majority of Open Source users and developers also have
some level of technological interest beyond Linux.  As long as the posts
are labeled OT allowing people to skim or ignore, I don't have a problem
with discussions not strictly directly concerning Linux.  Granted, I
wouldn't like to see this list become a posting ground for every new
joke someone encounters, but even the cheese thread was non
objectionable (to me) - it gave me brief smiles and giggles, a nice
break from overly seriousness.  BTW - Provolone is the king of cheeses
;)

---- 
rhia
knowledge is power - arm yourself


Keith Hopkins wrote:
> 
> phrostie wrote:
> > although, yes, this thread is more than a little off topic.
> > in fact it's out there :-)
> >
> > lighten up.
> >
> > On Sunday 21 July 2002 04:43, you wrote:
> >
> >>I, along with many others, think that all the political, religious, and
> >>zealous off-topic comments are destroying this "LINUX" group. This is a
> >>"LINUX" forum, nothing more and nothing less. Take the opinions elsewhere!
> >>If your complaints are that severe run for city council, mayor, or
> >>governor!!! One more time for the Forest Gump's out there....LINUX!!!!!!!!
> 
> <minirant>
> 
> ditto on the "lighten up".
> 
> If you don't like our "opinions", you sure don't have to read them.
> 
> Here is another one for you, if OT posts (is this one OT?) are destroying ALE, then I think it is time for ALE to go due to it's lack of being able to handle reality.
> 
> </minirant>
> 
> As far as post OT stuff goes, I appreciate those who mark the subject [OT].  I really don't want to see this mailing list to become censored.  On that note, I highly suggest those who don't like reading the OT to bone up one their mail clients ability to filter messages.
> 
> Unix and Linux both have a heritage of things bizarre (fortune comes to mind) that have added character to the OS.  I would dread seeing those features, or the words from the occasional oddball who thought them up, banned from anything Linux related just because it wasn't purely about Linux.
> 
> Was there ever a [ale-OT] message list made?  Nada is mentioned on the Mailing List page at the web site.
> 
> --
> Opinionated in Tokyo,
>    Keith
> 
> <mini-minirant>
> P.S. One more thought....If you truely think ALE is "nothing more" than a Linux forum, then I don't think you've been paying much attention, to the install fests, ALS, the support we give each other, or the other activites that go along with it.
> </mini-minirant>

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