Re: DEWAR (Spelled correctly!), Chill out

[kilgallen@eisner.decus.org (Larry Kilgallen)]

In article <dewar.885510066@merv>, dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar) writes:

> People often find it interesting to read my father's autobiography (it
> is in the ACS autobiography series). You will recognize some things
> there, particularly the notion that strenuous argument (in which people
> should not get emotionally involved please) is a good path to understanding
> issues. I always find it interesting that, at least in the Oxford tradition
> of English in which I was brought up, argument is a positive term, not
> at all related to the word quarrel, whereas in the US, it seems a very
> negative word, not far from quarrel :-)

I also like vigorous technical debate, but doing it on a computer network
has the disadvantage of not making it clear if there are some who don't
"get it".  I have rather different experiences than others regarding the
"code ownership" issue, but not directly opposed to either extreme. As
a result, it does not seem worth the effort of trying to communicate.

Perhaps this networked medium has the effect of giving undue emphasis
to the extreme ends of any issue, leaving the impression there is nobody
left in the middle ground.

Larry Kilgallen