On Tue, 2004-09-21 at 16:58, D. D. Brierton wrote: > On Tue, 2004-09-21 at 22:41, Kyle Maxwell wrote: > > The post was off-topic (as you even noted in the subject line). There > > are *many* other forums for security discussions (ISC as you > > mentioned, the Incidents mailing list, etc.) and the least amount of > > effort would have found them. Lots of people on this list are > > interested in the US presidential election or possibly even the recent > > release of Doom 3 but that does not mean that this is the place to > > discuss it. > > > > Personally, I was very interested in the post itself (as network > > security is my day job) but the post still should have been done in > > the appropriate forum. This forum is "for users of Fedora Core > > releases. If you want help with a problem installing or using Fedora > > Core, this is the list for you." (from the Fedora website). Windows > > security issues just aren't relevant. > > This is a tricky subject, one I hope doesn't turn into an enormous > thread, and I think it calls for judgement on a case by case basis > rather than rules. > > The post was off-topic, but there is some scope on this list for the > occasional off-topic post. Especially when the nature of the post is > tangentially related to the proper subject matter of this list (which > the US presidential election and Doom 3 aren't). Lots of people use > Fedora Core in ways which interact with Windows boxes -- maybe they run > a mail server which is accessed by Windows machines, or maybe they use > Samba to provide print and file-sharing services for Windows machines. > Things which effect those Windows machines may come to effect the > machine(s) running FC. > > I think that if off-topic posts are kept to a minimum, and replies to > them don't get out-of-hand, and if a huge secondary thread doesn't > develop on whether the post should have been posted at all, then posts > like this should be acceptable. It just takes all of us to use our sound > sober judgement on what to post in the first place, and what to reply > to. Sometimes one off-topic post that was marginally acceptable > generates a whole slew of replies waxing philosophical on what is > on-topic and what is off-topic on the list, thereby doing far more > damage than the original post ever did. (Oh. A bit like this one. Damn.) > > Best, Darren > I was wondering if the complainer expects us all to wear blinders and be totally oblivious to what is going on in any forum except Linux. For my case I have to support both systems (I would be out of work if I did not). It is nice to see hints of changes/threats as long as it does not get out of hand and take over the focus of the list. > -- > ===================================================================== > D. D. Brierton darren@xxxxxxxxxxx www.dzr-web.com > Trying is the first step towards failure (Homer Simpson) > ===================================================================== >
