On Fri, January 23, 2015 11:23, rogt3...@proinbox.com wrote: > > > On Fri, Jan 23, 2015, at 08:17 AM, Wietse Venema wrote: >> Never assume malice when limited resources get in the way of keeping >> Postfix documentation up to date. > > Interesting reply from someone who regularly spews venom at people and > can't seem to reply without an "As documented smething-or-other". > > Just wonderful that there are others that don't do the same though. >
You will find that email tends to make people appear a great deal more brusque than they intend. And technical people in general are not noted for their literary skills. Add to that the fact that hanging out on a mailing list answering questions from people who often lack the most rudimentary knowledge is not calculated to improve ones temper. Dr. Venema is a very busy man who does many more things than provide advice on how to set up somebody else's mail server. He expects a certain level of competence in his correspondents and is not shy about pointing out any lack thereof. However, it is never, in my experience, personal animosity. I have felt the sting of his rebukes as have many others. But the value of the help given from that quarter is unquestionable. We just have to accept that perhaps a little more effort on our part might avoid the entire experience. Sometimes it helps to have that extra motivation. At least, so I have found. One more thing. Dr. Venema is not American. The cultural differences in modes of address between North Americans and Europeans is often what lies at the bottom of these misunderstandings. I have dealings with many Dutch clients and, believe me, brusque does not quite capture what passes for civil discourse. You need to allow for all sorts of things on an international mailing list. -- *** E-Mail is NOT a SECURE channel *** James B. Byrne mailto:byrn...@harte-lyne.ca Harte & Lyne Limited http://www.harte-lyne.ca 9 Brockley Drive vox: +1 905 561 1241 Hamilton, Ontario fax: +1 905 561 0757 Canada L8E 3C3
