I’m not taking down mono-nono, I just don’t have time to focus on multiple blogs.

I was in the admin section today and noticed there are exactly 1000 comments (and this is the 100th post)! Thanks much to everyone who has taken the time to comment here – I sincerely appreciate your efforts and opinions and I hope for a thousand more!

About the new site

I’d like to announce a new website I will be working on, called The-Source.com. There are a lot of FLOSS issues I’d like to discuss, but are not related to Mono (or only very tangentially so), and I was offered an opportunity by a Mysterious International Cabal to expand my focus just a bit. We’ve been discussing and working on this site for a few weeks now, and hopefully we are ready to go!

The basic idea is to promote and discuss FLOSS, with a bit more emphasis on the Free aspect. There’s been a downright anti-Free / anti-ideals trending in the FLOSS world for quite sometime, and some of us think the Freedom aspect of FLOSS could use a little positive promotion. I especially welcome feedback on topics you’d like to hear about, and suggestions on how to improve the site quality! I’ve also enjoyed writing a lot, and The Source represents a welcome chance for me to expand my focus and improve my writing. (Not that it kneads any improviment, but One trys to be modestly.)

I’ve done most of the mechanical testing using a similar setup as this site, but I hope we can squash any remaining buggies this weekend! This is why I’m announcing the site now, before I have began posting in earnest. Gives people a chance to kick the tires before they are dazzled by my Shining Insights. Such are the complications one such as I must consider.

About this site

This site will keep focused on Mono/Moonlight/Novell. Most of the basic arguments have been laid out, though – so until new developments appear, there’s not much I can post on. I’m not going to re-hash arguments just to be posting – as I’ve said it’s dishonest to keep repeating the same arguments even if you don’t think the rebuttals are sufficient. Make your case, go a round or two of counter-arguments, and then move on to the next point. Too many people think out-lasting your opponent through repetition means you have “won” the debate. Debate is not a Last Man Standing mode of game play, people.

So, mono-nono isn’t going anywhere, but at the same time, I have to slow the posting volume down, because I think the fundamental arguments have been made. I’m sure things will continue to come up and I’ll cover those as they appear. I’m not sure yet about cross-posting my stuff from mono-nono to The Source, we will have to see about that.

Yes, it was mainly for you two dudes arguing about compilers and junk. No one understands that. Get back to calling people shills and zealots please. That’s language we all understand.

By default, nesting is set to 5 levels deep. That means once you have back-and-forth beyond the limits of the software, you have entered true wankery and time to call a truce. We can extend the limits of wankery if needed, but personally I feel, argument, counter-argument, rebuttal, and counter-rebuttal is pretty sufficient to let everyone get a fair shake at things.

OPTION 2: Make your argument in the form of a rational, reasoned argument and I will post it up as a article. I will pay you what I get for a post. Hell, I will pay you 5x what I get for a post. Guess what I get for a post?

Real and “Faux” Community?

Lately, “Lefty” Schlesinger has been trying to push this “real”/”faux” community line, where he decides who is a community member and who is not. It starts up in his comments on ITWire, and he now has a blog post about it.

I get mentioned in both places. Nice.

About Me

I have been attacked here repeatedly for being “anonymous”. Here’s the funny thing about that: I never intended to be anonymous. I’m using my real name, and never tried to hide anything. Several people I exchanged email with got email from any one of my random mail accounts, for example. A couple of people directly guessed who I was, which was strangely ego-boosting.

Also, think about that for a second. Do you really think someone is so scared of pro-mono people that they need to go anonymous? I mean I don’t like what they are doing, but I don’t think Team Mono is going to send guys around to rough me up or something. I don’t expect any abuse at all actually, because I don’t think they are evil people and I’ve said so many times.

Or is the idea that I should be so ashamed of having an opinion that I just naturally hide my identity?

Or do people really think other people are “scared” to stand behind what they say?

It’s just foolishness, the whole bit. Not a lick of sense in it.

About this site

I started this site because I honestly think the Novell-Microsoft deal and Mono and Moonlight represent a net loss to the community, and I don’t know of a place where you can go to talk about that rationally.

I argue my points to the best of my ability, and I listen to what mono advocates have to say, even specifically addressing points they raise. I doubt I have changed anyone’s mind, nor have I changed mine but I have learned some things and came to understand some points I did not.

I challenge anyone to read this blog and not come away thinking at least there is an effort at dialogue. It’s not a echo hate chamber filled with nutbars. I dish it out strong, sure – but there are some pro-mono people that have dished it back and I thank them for that. If you search, you might even find me acknowledging when someone makes a point. Shocking, I know – the idea that you might not be 100% correct and the opposition 100% wrong.

I also like to think this site at least tries to remain civil, especially considering the divisiveness and controversy of the subject matter. I’ve gotten thanks for providing a more reasonable site where people can air concerns about this issue, and I’m happy about that.

So, I consider this site a positive contribution, even as I recognize some people would rather it not exist.

About Lefty

I want everyone to pay very close attention to what Lefty has said, and how he has said it. He constantly attempts to position himself as the ultimate arbitrator of what is right and wrong, who is sexist and who is not, who is in the real community and who is not.

I challenge anyone to remove yourself from your position and read his writings on the whole rms issue and this latest real/faux community issue with a list of demogogy methods as a convenient reference. I do not exaggerate when I tell you he employs every listed fallacy multiple times.

He attempts to set himself up as judge and jury of who is and is not worthy. He tries to designate himself as the gatekeeper for the community, based solely on his personal judgment on the other individual. He flatly advocates explusion or shunning those people he deems non-contributors, even though he lacks the authority, evidence or right to attempt such a thing. It strikes me as quite megalomanical.

I want to stress the point so it is perfectly clear: Lefty has asserted publicly and in multiple venues that I make no contributions to the “real” community and should be shunned, even though he has no evidence for his position, nor does he even know who I am.

Think on that. And then read on.

In which Lefty is pwned

Here is Lefty’s characterization of myself:

What I am seeing is people making a pretense of involvement in FLOSS and in our community, people who we don’t actually know, people who never join us at conferences, don’t work in projects, and only participate in mailing lists to instigate flame wars. I am seeing people who seem to be making a sort of religion out of “free software” and issuing their demands to the rest of us to do things their way. These are people who will excoriate you as something less than a “true GNU/Linux user” if you should touch a Macintosh or (heaven forbid!) a Windows box. These are folks who will berate you for buying a piece of software or owning an iPod. These are people who will classify you as a “freedom hater” if you express reservations about the GPL v3.

Well, guess what? (I’m sure you knew this was coming:)

• Here’s my homepage.
• Here’s my other blog.
• Here’s my GPL project.
• Here’s my other GPL project, in which I used some non-GPL code.
• Here’s a GPL project I contributed to.
• Here’s the LUG I belong to.
• I own two iPods.
• I buy games for Linux.
• I even use (shudder) nVidia proprietary video drivers.

There’s my character, shall we proceed next to the assassination portion of this evening’s program?

Now, I want to pause here and quote directly from that Wikipedia demagogy article:

Demonization — identifying others as a mortal threat. Often this involves scapegoating — blaming others for one’s own problems. This is often advanced by using vague terms to identify the opposition group and then stereotyping that group. This allows the demagogue to exaggerate this group’s influence and ascribe any trait to them by identifying that trait in any individual in the group. This method can be aided by constructing a false dilemma that portrays opposition groups as having a value system that is the polar opposite of one’s own, as opposed to simply having different priorities.

I am not exaggerating or engaging in hyperbole when I call Lefty a demagogue. That is exactly and precisely what he is. A textbook definition, in fact.

In the aftermath of absolute pwnage, one man stands alone.

So, “Lefty” do I qualify to be a member of the “real” community? Can I express my opinion, please? Will an apology for your unfounded assumptions and baseless attacks now be forthcoming?

Ha, ha. No, seriously I don’t expect an apology. I expect a nice tap dancing show as the goalposts are moved. Like the scuttling of a cockroach as the light turns on in the kitchen, one quivering leg disappearing under the sink counter, to gather strength and return later to foul the area.

So Lefty, from Jason “ushimitsudoki” Melton, straight out of Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan:

Kiss my gaijin ass you sad little man.

I stand behind everything I have written on this blog as my best effort to explain my thinking and to try to understand others on the Mono controversy. I welcome those who want to discuss it, and reject those who want to silence it.

[[I edited this post to remove part of the entire Wikipedia definition, to prevent people focusing on that. It's not relevant to the matter at hand, but people seem to latch on to whatever thin strand of justification they can. I removed related comments as well.]]

OpenID did work before, but it didn’t say so, and still required a name and email due to some javascript checks in the template.

I’ve pulled out the initial log-in form and stuck in a simpler one. I’ve tested most of what I can think of and it all seems to work as expected.

If you get utter failure to be able to comment, please drop me an email or hit me up on XMPP: jason [at] mono-nono [dot] com

In the tradition of Google, they are in beta. Your feedback is welcome. We will see if they grow!

The basics

There are 3-subforums:

• The Oven – This is for normal and possibly heated discussion of any FLOSS or FLOSS-related issue.
• The Cooler – This is for polite discussion of any FLOSS or FLOSS-related issue. No flames here. Period.
• The Front Porch – Friendly discussion on any other topic, including site feedback.

The topics

I can’t cover all the interesting aspects of Mono/Moonlight and how they all tie into various aspects of FLOSS, and I welcome a chance to get a wider range of voices involved. Furthermore, there is a lot of good FLOSS information that relates to Mono/Moonlight that is also applicable in general that I just don’t know enough to write about:

• How to join existing projects
• How to effectively influence distributions
• How to technically compare language features
• How to analyze a patent
• How to get Megan Fox to take my calls

Stuff like that. Useful in relation to Mono, and for FLOSS in general.

I will create one thread for all pro-mono opinions/rant/propaganda. If you have something pro-mono to say, keep it in that one thread. Ha! No, no. Just kidding. It’s funny!

We can develop the moderation style as we go along. What we have so far on the comments is pretty good, I think. I don’t mind giving – and taking – a few hard shots.

A pre-emptive message to crazy people

Here are the site-wide guidelines (full list here):

• Try not to embarass yourself.
• Ignore obvious trolls. I will delete obvious troll threads once I see them.

Also:

• If you have a 20 paragraph conspiracy theory with 800 links … don’t even bother.
• If you threaten to sue people when you get butthurt … don’t even bother.
• If you are a Nickelback fan … don’t even bother.

Well, what are you waiting for?

Get over there and post up some stuff!