ok - i've had sometime to formulate some thoughts
i too am saddened by dave's departure
for the record, while i knew that dave's post was going to result in the personally motivated attack by raj, prior to its removal, i told eric that, on principal, i had no problem with the expression of his thoughts and feelings - eric wanted to avoid controversy, so i understand the decision he made - i'm not really sure what the best course of action would have been, which is also why i have hesitated this long to comment here
dave has issue with me, that's for sure - some others do too - i am certainly outspoken and opinionated, frequently abrubt and abrasive, and often found to be disagreed with - however, most who have met me, or at least talked to me on the phone, have a much better and more complete perception of me, and can see past that which they read in a distilled and abbreviated version online
that does not mean that they agree with everything i say - far from it - that varies with the individual - some of my best friends are diametrically opposed to many of my thoughts, feelings and beliefs
that's fine - they are only my opinions - people are free to agree or disagree - but, mine are as valid as anybody's - i have a lot of experience to back up much of what i say here, and just because somebody does not agree with them, does not detract from their value - that is what an open forum is for - it is an open exchange of ideas - look at how much progress has happened in the last 2 years - much of it is as a direct result of people saying "it can't be done" - directly or indirectly, many new things have been developed as a result of this exchange, and often i have been in the middle of it - whether or not it was smooth or all warm and fuzzy, in the end, we have more choices now than we did before
if somebody has a problem with something i say, or how i say it, please feel free to contact me directly - email is preferable, over PMs, only because of limited storage space here - many of you have my phone number - please take advantage of it - i no more wish to piss people off than anybody else - it is not my goal or intention to alienate people - on the contrary, i go out of my way to contact people and try to get them involved in things, and hopefully make new friends
as for the hijacking issue, if people would activate their AIM or yahoo connections, i could more frequently take things there that seem off track within the thread - the PM storage here is insufficient, and email is often too difficult, or worse unavailable, because people have not connected their email address to here - this leaves only response within the thread - certainly i am open to suggestions as to how to better resolve that
this is a conversation board in nature - such conversations, and their inevitable wandering is to be expected - many of the tangential things have resulted in new parts or solutions to problems though, so where do you draw the line? - new threads would often detract from the original one - the tangents usually burn out quickly, or find their own course - what is the best answer?
i too will miss dave's contributions - he is a very knowledgeable and clever guy, with a lot of great things to say and share - i relly enjoyed working and socializing with him - i have personally missed him as a friend for over a year now - this is his right though, and as much as i fail to understand it, i have to respect it
to that, this is eric's board - he has the right to define how it is run - he has said he wants a free and open exchange, and as long as things remain civil, there is no profanity, vulgarity, obscenity, or personal attack, that people are pretty much free to say what they want - no opinion is given any more weight than another - people may agree or disagree - they may read it or not - they may comment or not
we have to respect that too, and in the end, it is the same fundamental principal of free speech on which this country was founded - the community spoke some 200 plus years ago and said that people should be free to say what they want, regardless of how many might disagree with them
hopefully we can all find a common ground in this car, and our interest in it, keep personal issues out of the things expressed here, and get on with enjoying the great things this forum has to offer
the bashing may now resume
