Re: SPAM DB has been released

From: Galen Boyer <galenboyer_at_hotpop.com>
Date: 26 Feb 2004 13:06:12 -0600
Message-ID: <ur7whfyts.fsf@standardandpoors.com>

On Thu, 26 Feb 2004, damorgan_at_x.washington.edu wrote:
> Galen Boyer wrote:
>

>> On Fri, 20 Feb 2004, damorgan_at_x.washington.edu wrote:
>>
>>>All SPAM is bad spam. I don't care if you are giving it away
>>>for free. I don't care if you personally show up, install it,
>>>configure it train on it, and then give me a check for $50: It
>>>is still spam.
>> I'm on the fence on this one.  What is different from what
>> this guy posted and what Jonathan Lewis posts every month?

>
> I will gladly answer that one. Jonathan posts in response to
> posts by other people asking for help solving a problem or
> requesting clarification.
>
> Not once has he just posted marketing in and of itself.

Every single month Jonathan posts

"FAQ - Etiquette - and how to get an answer". This points to his website. In your definitions given, Jonathan Lewis is spamming this group.

> Not once has he referred anyone to his company as the solution
> to a problem. Not once has he said "come take my class for the
> answer."

The OP is getting berated and never did any of this either.

> Jonathan may use a line or two more than I and others do to
> indicate what he does and who he is but he isn't posting
> purely, or I suspect even incidentally, in the hope of make a
> sale or driving someone to his web site so he can sell them
> something.

What would be so wrong about that? Do you honestly think that Tom Kyte answers completely without a motive? He keeps giving such great answers that you are almost compelled to buy his book. Wouldn't surprise me one bit to find out that he has this in mind when he helps folks freely on this group. I certainly bought Jonathan's book because of the fantastic postings I read on this newsgroup. What is wrong with that? I would say, nothing, but, you should have a problem with it because of the "hidden" agenda.

> A free product or give-away to get people to come to your
> for-profit site is marketing at is most basic level. "Come on
> down to our used car dealership and we will give you a toaster"
> is marketing. So is "Come to our web site and download SPAM-DB
> 1.6 for free." In both cases the motive is transparent.

Its not clear you understand the open-source community.

> The DB2 and Informix groups have their rules and they should be
> respected. The Oracle group's rules should be too. And if
> spammers aren't made to pay a price for what they do it just
> encourages them to spam more and for others to do so too. You
> really don't want me, and every other consultant, posting our
> advertising here. Really!

How can you group an open-source author in the same vein as a for-profit software effort?

-- 
Galen Boyer

Received on Thu Feb 26 2004 - 13:06:12 CST