General Discussion / Chit Chat

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Originally Posted by InvisibleDuncan

We're not a bunch of kids, we're intelligent, grown-up adults

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Actually Duncan, therein lies one of our big issues with much of the "friendly banter" that occurs in Chit Chat.

Not all of our members are adults, and I mean this in a literal, chronological sense. A number of our members are teens and even pre-teens. This forum section, and all forum sections, are for EVERYONE, not just those members that have reached a certain age.

I'm certain you can easily understand how merely reading some of the comments in some of the threads in Chit Chat could be very intimidating to someone that is searching for a sense of self-worth and/or self-confidence.

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Originally Posted by Hack

Actually Duncan, therein lies one of our big issues with much of the "friendly banter" that occurs in Chit Chat.

Not all of our members are adults, and I mean this in a literal, chronological sense. A number of our members are teens and even pre-teens. This forum section, and all forum sections, are for EVERYONE, not just those members that have reached a certain age.

I'm certain you can easily understand how merely reading some of the comments in some of the threads in Chit Chat could be very intimidating to someone that is searching for a sense of self-worth and/or self-confidence.

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So make a kids section, where they can draw on their placemats and discuss the latest pokemon controversies, and restrict this forum to those who can handle "adult" conversation, or those who have already realized that they have no self-worth.

Everybody wins.
:afrog:

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Originally Posted by MartinLiss

I believe that most moderators would agree that CC is a strength of VBF but it also had been getting out of line. Here is one example.

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Marty, that was one of the most amusing threads of that day. I was enjoying it till the post by brad came up. How could someone take dark shadow's code (although lifted from somewhere) seriously to be a genuine code, and that too if the OP says that it looks more like C :rolleyes: . That's blasphemous (I think the spelling is correct, I should develop a spellchecker utility for VBF). Just look at the method names, if they can be called so :lol: Other posts can be debated about but not this one.

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Originally Posted by visualAd

That is the most idiotic thing I've ever seen .... :rolleyes:

Seriously guys, take a good look at the big picture. You have been destroying this place little by little for many months. And as for the mods and admins here having a bad reputation, yes, you do. Thats why I got out. The general consensus is a group of two faced, trigger happy, over the top police men.

Considering that you are in the best position to fight back against all this corporate piffle, why don't you? Maybe you don't want to, maybe you are afraid, maybe there is another reason. Maybe I shouldhave stayed and fought the cornor ... who knows.

Go back a year, two years, three years and compare the atmosphere. The evidence is there, staring you in the face.

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I'm rarely here posting but reading more often... But I'd like to ask you (and everyone's thinking like you) two questions:

- can you stop being a school boy?
- what does it take to be civilized?

You know, sometimes I find some posts to be very offencive and they don't necessary offend me directly but I can see other people may get offended so here is the last question to anyone who reads this:

Can we all be respectful to each other? Think before you say something...

My very best regards to all of you. :wave:

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Originally Posted by crptcblade

So make a kids section

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That is not a viable option.

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Originally Posted by rjv_rnjn

How could someone take dark shadow's code (although lifted from somewhere) seriously to be a genuine code

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Anyone with little programming experience could take that to be genuine.

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Originally Posted by rjv_rnjn

Other posts can be debated about but not this one.

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On the contrary the link Martin referenced is a perfect example of the point he was making.

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make_futile_attempt_to_damage_Linux();

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Yeah, that looks genuine! :afrog:

Why don't the mods move the "serious" threads to their relevant forum, infroming the poster at the same time.

This is Chit Chat.

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Originally Posted by Bonker Gudd

Why don't the mods move the "serious" threads to their relevant forum, infroming the poster at the same time.

This is Chit Chat.

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That is both an outstanding question and suggestion!!!!!!!!! :thumb:

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Originally Posted by SeanK

That is both an outstanding question and suggestion!!!!!!!!! :thumb:

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And uncharacteristically coherent, too. :afrog:

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Originally Posted by Hack

Actually Duncan, therein lies one of our big issues with much of the "friendly banter" that occurs in Chit Chat.

Not all of our members are adults, and I mean this in a literal, chronological sense. A number of our members are teens and even pre-teens. This forum section, and all forum sections, are for EVERYONE, not just those members that have reached a certain age.

I'm certain you can easily understand how merely reading some of the comments in some of the threads in Chit Chat could be very intimidating to someone that is searching for a sense of self-worth and/or self-confidence.

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That's a fair comment, but it does fly in the face of some of the other moderator comments in this thread. Before you mentioned this aspect, the argument was that we were being unprofessional, whereas you're saying that we need to be more child-friendly. I can't help thinking that the two are mutually exclusive.

In terms of content, it's highly unlikely that there's anyone on here who doesn't encounter, and cope with, innuendo and banter in real life. Bullying has no place anywhere, including here, but frankly I'd say the only bullying attitude I've seen on here is coming from certain moderators (present company excepted ;) ). Maybe we should have a poll: who found Wally's post offensive/bullying versus those who found his ban offensive/bullying. I'm quite confident of who would win.

I genuinely don't agree that many of the comments in CC would seem intimidating to anyone except the most fragile, and such people would be intimidated by anything - encountering a blindingly good bit of code can be intimidating to someone with self-confidence issues! Personally, I'm more disturbed by comments like this:

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Originally Posted by RhinoBull

You know, sometimes I find some posts to be very offencive and they don't necessary offend me directly but I can see other people may get offended

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Pandering to people who want things restricted because they think other people might find them offensive is, in all honesty, quite dangerous in a free society.

We'll have the thought police here next. :(

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Originally Posted by Bonker Gudd

This is Chit Chat.

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Yea it was.

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Originally Posted by RobDog888

[Rodney King]Cant we all just get along?[/Rodney King] :D

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lol, let's get Rodney King tags to play a sound. :lol: :lol:

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Originally Posted by rjv_rnjn

Marty, that was one of the most amusing threads of that day. I was enjoying it till the post by brad came up. How could someone take dark shadow's code (although lifted from somewhere) seriously to be a genuine code, and that too if the OP says that it looks more like C :rolleyes: . That's blasphemous (I think the spelling is correct, I should develop a spellchecker utility for VBF). Just look at the method names, if they can be called so :lol: Other posts can be debated about but not this one.

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The Google Toolbar has a very nice spell checker.

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Originally Posted by MartinLiss

The Google Toolbar has a very nice spell checker.

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Even better: Firefox 2 does automatic spell checks in textareas.

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Originally Posted by MartinLiss

The Google Toolbar has a very nice spell checker.

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Martin, you have to ban yourself now for going off-topic.

:)

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Originally Posted by MartinLiss

I'm sorry you feel that way but the "atmosphere" is not going to change. If you can't deal with that then you always have the option of leaving. I'd hate to see that happen however since you are a valuable contributor to the PHP and other forums.

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Ok, I'm gone .... :wave:

Leaving because you dont get your way right away is not very productive. If you to try to deal with things in a more positive mannor wouldnt that be best?

Sorry to see you go if you do though.

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Originally Posted by visualAd

Ok, I'm gone .... :wave:

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Come on VisualAd!! Though I am not active poster, but active reader though. Let Moderators change the name, that doesn't change the way we contribute (ok, ok.. "we" was a bit too much, but i meant those who contribute) or what crptcblade has continued posting here in CC (haha.. politically correct). Nobody should leave a forum based on some discussion. Not taking being bullied when bullied is also an art... :confused: (yeah I too am not sure what I want to write) :bigyello:
Anyway other threads with same zest have continued on CC. So, we can leave this point here (at least I've started enjoying the other posts of CC). So my goodbye is to this thread..:wave:

I find this discussion and many of the comments in this thread to be very strange. What is it you guys are complaining about? That posts in a thread should stay on topic? Even if this forum is an off-topic forum doesn't mean that all replies to a thread should be. I rarely post in this forum simply because if you post a serious question you are instantly ridiculed and the thread will at once be filled with some other discussion, jokes, and all kind of off-topic replies. The link Marty posted in post #50 above is a good example. I may agree that that particular question might have fitted better in the General PC forum but that doesn't mean you immediatly should post nonsens replies to an obviously serious question. Why must a serious question be tagged as such? Can you honestly say that you can't see the difference when you read the topic?

Who put the equal sign between Chit Chat and Silly Discussion? I often chit chat with people around me about very serious stuff and are rarely ridiculed for it.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good joke as much as the next guy, and I did found many of the replies to the above mentioned post very funny but that is not the point. The point is that the thread starter had a serious question and expected serious answers. So he truly thought that the replies he got was serious and felt that his time was wasted when he investigated the answers he got and when he pointed that out he was again ridiculed and even if the word wasn't mentioned pretty muched called an idiot just because he didn't realize that. You may argue as much as you want about what he should have understood and I would only reply that those who posted a reply should have understood what kind of a replies he expected.

So go ahead and start new silly and fun threads but before you reply to any thread in any of the forums please make sure you read the topic first so you stay on topic even in this off topic forum.

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Originally Posted by Joacim Andersson

I find this discussion and many of the comments in this thread to be very strange. What is it you guys are complaining about? That posts in a thread should stay on topic? Even if this forum is an off-topic forum doesn't mean that all replies to a thread should be. I rarely post in this forum simply because if you post a serious question you are instantly ridiculed and the thread will at once be filled with some other discussion, jokes, and all kind of off-topic replies. The link Marty posted in post #50 above is a good example. I may agree that that particular question might have fitted better in the General PC forum but that doesn't mean you immediatly should post nonsens replies to an obviously serious question. Why must a serious question be tagged as such? Can you honestly say that you can't see the difference when you read the topic?

Who put the equal sign between Chit Chat and Silly Discussion? I often chit chat with people around me about very serious stuff and are rarely ridiculed for it.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good joke as much as the next guy, and I did found many of the replies to the above mentioned post very funny but that is not the point. The point is that the thread starter had a serious question and expected serious answers. So he truly thought that the replies he got was serious and felt that his time was wasted when he investigated the answers he got and when he pointed that out he was again ridiculed and even if the word wasn't mentioned pretty muched called an idiot just because he didn't realize that. You may argue as much as you want about what he should have understood and I would only reply that those who posted a reply should have understood what kind of a replies he expected.

So go ahead and start new silly and fun threads but before you reply to any thread in any of the forums please make sure you read the topic first so you stay on topic even in this off topic forum.

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Well said!

They're out to ruin CC...

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Originally Posted by Joacim Andersson

I find this discussion and many of the comments in this thread to be very strange. What is it you guys are complaining about? That posts in a thread should stay on topic? Even if this forum is an off-topic forum doesn't mean that all replies to a thread should be. I rarely post in this forum simply because if you post a serious question you are instantly ridiculed and the thread will at once be filled with some other discussion, jokes, and all kind of off-topic replies. The link Marty posted in post #50 above is a good example. I may agree that that particular question might have fitted better in the General PC forum but that doesn't mean you immediatly should post nonsens replies to an obviously serious question. Why must a serious question be tagged as such? Can you honestly say that you can't see the difference when you read the topic?

Who put the equal sign between Chit Chat and Silly Discussion? I often chit chat with people around me about very serious stuff and are rarely ridiculed for it.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good joke as much as the next guy, and I did found many of the replies to the above mentioned post very funny but that is not the point. The point is that the thread starter had a serious question and expected serious answers. So he truly thought that the replies he got was serious and felt that his time was wasted when he investigated the answers he got and when he pointed that out he was again ridiculed and even if the word wasn't mentioned pretty muched called an idiot just because he didn't realize that. You may argue as much as you want about what he should have understood and I would only reply that those who posted a reply should have understood what kind of a replies he expected.

So go ahead and start new silly and fun threads but before you reply to any thread in any of the forums please make sure you read the topic first so you stay on topic even in this off topic forum.

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And this is the basis of all that we are trying to convey for CC.

That particular thread should have been moved. Unfortunately, CC is so heavily frequented that it was loaded up before anyone would have been able to move it (unless RD was unemployed...uh...I mean SELF employed, again hehehe. He was posting by the minute back then).

Like many people, I tend to think of people based on their avatars ( Kleinma is old, RD is small green gangsta, etc.) Based on that, I have never expected anything thoughtful or sensitive from Wally, and he has rarely let me down. On the other hand, he has usually been humorously cynical. I think he was here. Most people have totally earned their bannings, but I don't think he did.

As for Invisible Duncan's post about professionalism: There's a constant tension where I work between the 'professionalism' that is forced on us, and the nature of clever and creative people to push boundaries. There are folks who are so frightened of how they appear that they will never do anything. They won't do anything wrong, but they also won't do anything creative or original. A scientist who is afraid to be creative or original is a beaurocrat (spell checkers be danged).

There's a fine line between creativity and craziness, as everyone probably recognizes. I wouldn't suggest that most of the silly banter in CC is going to create the next BIG THING, but I do think it is a reasonable side effect of creativity. You can't be thinking originally in one area, without it leaking into other areas.

Well, I forgot where I was going, so I guess I'll wander off to eat some spaghetti.

Your own post went off topic with itself at the end!

You cant judge a book by its avatar :D

We are not saying that there wont be fun allowed but all in good taste and if the thread doesnt have a serious tone to it. All the junk that is posted is fine as long as its not offensive, rude, or an AUP violation.

If members want to be rude, use offensive language or whatever else falls into those categories then they can just keep it in their IM sessions. That is where those types of conversations belong anyways, that or in PM's.

I take offense at your assumption that IMs are only good for rude and/or offensive language.

I guess your not offended about PM's then. Its not an assumption at all. Who's saying that I said thats all IM's are good for? I could take offense at your response but whatever. :rolleyes:

Just saying that that type of conversation is best kept out of the public forum. If that offends you to have to keep offensive language or rude remarks out of the public forum then thats another story but its not allowed on VBF.

As Shaggy pointed out, I was indeed, in my own self-styled cynical style, merely trying to be humorous. So if you want to ban me for that, or for the usage of the word 'idiot' then go right ahead.

I can only hope you are at least aware of the supreme irony in doing so.

I have long since noticed that the P.C. that infested the western corporate world has switched over to the internet and more precisely, to the fora on the internet.
It has come that far that the internet, which is supposedly the last safe haven of free speech, has been put under scrutiny and restriction. Just in case we might somewhere, somehow, at some point, get near the situation that we offend someone.

As this seems to be the future of CC in this particular forum, it doesn't really do well for my presence here.

And yes, I'm pretty sure I won't be missed.

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Originally Posted by Wally Pipp

And yes, I'm pretty sure I won't be missed.

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But we will miss you :(

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Originally Posted by Wally Pipp

And yes, I'm pretty sure I won't be missed.

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Sorry, and you are...?

No one is stoping anyone from having fun and a bit of banter. What we are stopping you doing is Hijacking threads which new/existing members post asking serious questions.

Why cant people deal with that?

I think it's a matter of not knowing what a serious question in this forum is anymore. So many of our veterans ask questions that at first glance seem serious, but the whole intent of the question is to see how far off topic the replies get. I thought we were doing good with the [Serious] tags, as those threads almost never got hijacked. This is GD/CC, and in the history of this forum, any thread without a direct mention of serious intent has gotten hijacked at some point... And I think it's fun. Keeps people on their toes. Now, where did I leave the peanut butter?

Correct, but new commers dont know about the [serious] tag and there threads were being hounded, and hence they did not return!

Anyways the re-enforced old rules are here, we'd appriciate everyone co-op

I have seen the serious tagged threads getting hijacked and redirected on to the usual sillyness. So just adding the serious tag didnt help either.