[TAG] Ya know, I've changed my mind.

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Mike Orr (mso at oz.net):

> AFAIK we still have an open-door policy on TAG membership.  Is it time 
> to reconsider this? 

Honestly, I see no problem sufficient to merit such measures.  Bruce
Farrell seems to have been an extreme outlier of the
misbehaves-when-backed-into-a-corner category.  I regret the fact that
my quoting eight lines of his rather poisonous and presumptuous private
mail occasioned that misbehaviour (though I can't say I feel guilty
about it).

If we get only one person who throws a tantrum, calls us names, and
storms out every few years, I'd say we're doing much better than most
mailing lists.  It was a little gruesome, but brief and also perversely
entertaining.  (I'll admit to having warped tastes.)

> I'm mildly concerned about people rifing through the 
> archive who are apparently clueless about what the list is for, and 
> subscribed for who knows what reason.

I see no harm.

We've picked up some valuable contributors by being accessible.  I was
particularly pleased that Peter Knaggs has contributed to a few threads:
He's been a little quiet so far, but he's _really_ good.  I know him
from PenLUG (just north of me) and CABAL, my own local group, and he
seems to have joined TAG on the basis of some of my forwards from here
to CABAL's mailing list / newsgroup.

> What part of curmudgeon doesn't he understand?

Passive-aggressives (and others, but especially those) who've been
backed into an untenable position _invariably_ misbehave badly, before
flaming out.  It's an inevitable part of the syndrome.

> His opinion of Thomas and Rick, of course, is not one I agree with.  
> Both of them have proven to be very reasonable in their answers over the 
> years.

Even a very casual observer would have seen that Bruce was obviously 
very off-balance, given his extremely intemperate responses to Thomas's
eminently civil attempt to reason with him.  A kinder man than I would 
have backed off completely, ignored his name-calling, and hoped the man 
settled down when his feathers unruffled of their own accord.  Alas, I'm
not quite that kind.  ;->