Re: SPAM DB has been released

From: Ed Avis <ed_at_membled.com>
Date: 28 Feb 2004 19:14:09 +0000
Message-ID: <l1r7wfdnjy.fsf@budvar.future-i.net>

Daniel Morgan <damorgan_at_x.washington.edu> writes:

>>If the general feeling on this group is that announcements of free
>>software projects are unwelcome then I will accept that, but the
>>views of one member (even if a distinguished and regular poster)
>>don't automatically count for the whole group.
>
>Agreed. Ok group ... how do you feel about opening up the groups to
>postings that are of a non-commercial nature but are intended to
>drive traffic to a for-profit web site?

I do not think this is a fair question because you end up trying to judge what is 'intended' by an article; that is difficult to do objectively; it is better to look at what the article says and its subject matter.

Also I'm concerned that your question would ban answers like 'there is a good discussion of indexing on site X' where X happens to carry banner advertising or is a series of excerpts from a published book. Taken strictly (and so far you have taken very strict interpretations of what is non-commercial) it would even forbid 'please look at Oracle's website', since that is clearly for-profit...

I would ask whether it is acceptable to have postings which describe or announce releases of software that is unconditionally free (not a trial version; not crippleware; not limited-use; and with rights to modify and redistribute the software) and available free of charge, provided that such postings have reasonable technical content and aren't just marketspeak.

>Ed Avis didn't even take the time to read our Charter before posting
>his message that I, and I believe Sybrand too, have clearly labelled
>as unadulterated spam.

I didn't post the original message! I have nothing to do with PEAR DB, I simply objected to you flaming a poster and calling him a spammer just because he posted an article which, according to the charter and the subject matter of the group, was on-topic and useful.

>Finally ... should we look at amending the Charter to clarify this
>issue?

Probably a good idea; at the moment it forbids commercial announcements; you might want to forbid non-commercial announcements too.

If that happens a new group comp.databases.oracle.announce could be

created, with .marketplace remaining for commercial advertising and
press releases.  Or there could be a
comp.databases.oracle.free-software for announcements of free programs

related to Oracle and discussion of their use.

-- 
Ed Avis <ed_at_membled.com>

Received on Sat Feb 28 2004 - 13:14:09 CST