Hi Susan
The question is on-topic vs. off-topic. We have no shortage of heat.
You are touching an interesting topic, and I would like to make a few comments
before I answer your questions.
1-First off, IME the problem here is much more caused by the self-appointed cops
trying to police what others can say or not, rather than by the occasional
mention of a program that is not-quite-true-blue-freeware.
(With the notable exception of spammers, who should be hunted squished and burnt
on sight).
So maybe a more appropriate question would be why 3 or 4 individuals impose
their militant fundamentalist views on the group and permanently take "justice"
in their hands. IMHO those extremist and compulsive cops are more the problem
than 99% of the rest.
2-Certainly some guidelines as to on- and off-topic are useful. Now when some
poster once in a while breaches those guidelines, that does NOT amount to free
season for the compulsive aggressors to compensate for their lack of a life on
their own an to run amok on the poor sod.
Unless there is a repeated, deliberate transgression, the rule should always be
1)tolerance, 2)politeness, 3)MYOB. And only when one poster makes an annoyance
of him/herself then there is legitimate grounds for saying something politely at
first, and maybe lashing out later if it goes on.
I don't see how any "policing action" can be legitimate and claim to contribute
to a better group without following this. (And IMO today most netkops FAIL this
most basic test, thus make themselves the negative contributors here).
3)While this group is about freeware, and we should encourage freeware use in
discussions here, this in no way means that mentioning non-freeware is
inappropriate. Just to take basic examples, it is perfectly sensible to compare
the features of a word processor or spreadsheet with MS's word and Excel, which
are the one that most everyone knows. Or to compare a zip app with Winzip.
I am not saying that promoting payware would be appropriate, but just that their
status does not make them a religious taboo and un-mentionnable. Bigots be
damned.
(Yes there is a limit to be found somewhere, but 1-it is not zero, and 2-I won't
let netkops decide where it is in my stead).
4) My own brand of philosophico-religious: Letting the netkops loose as we have
done so far here is very dangerous.
- it condones extremist fundamentalist behavior,
- it lets people with a basic personality disorder take it out on the group,
- it has become unpleasantly close to the worst types of censorship that history
teaches us about.
When Corliss replaces an app's name by *** in quoting an otherwise perfectly
legitimate discussion, doesn't this remind anyone of the worst practices of
the Catholic Inquisition's censorship, with fig leaves on statues and all?
Behaving like this has its place in a medieval kingdom or in a theocracy, but
not in a free society.
- I don't agree to letting 4-5 bozos erect themselves into a militia policing
the group. Especially if it is for CENSORING it. Not the way to do things.
Besides, there should be a limit to the amount of censorship posts doled out
by a single individual in a week, or something. Letting fundamentalists and
excited yahoos rampage is just not right.
5) the group would be much more pleasant without the persistent irritant caused
by a few prudes always grouching.
6) If some people can't stand the mere mention of an app that is unholy in their
book, those people do have the option of killfiling the offender to preserve
their purity. No need for aggression on anyone.
And no need to scream PLONK! either, that does not help the group's atmosphere.
7) Freeware are not always the very best solution. Within reason (ie no spamming
etc), there is no taboo that should prevent someone from mentioning a $-ware
alternative if there is a valid reason.
For ex when we discuss MP3 tagging/renaming/etc, I have often discussed the free
alternatives, and added that IMO the vastly superior utility is MP3tagStudio,
which is ad-ware. As long as I don't cross the line into spamming, this is fair
information (or fair opinion, or whatever). Anyway, prudes be darned.
8) Phew! I'm done ranting and I'll answer your question.
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Adware: 2
Betaware: 4 <--(espec if not time-limited)
CDWare: 2
Commercial Software: 2
Crippleware: 4
Demo-ware: 2
Donationware: 5
Freeware: 5
Liteware: 5
Malware: 1 <--(only when warning needed, but it almost always needed! LOL)
Nagware: 3
Orphanware/Abandonware: 5
Registerware: 5
Requestware: 5
Shareware: 2
Spyware: 1
Trialware: 2
Warez: 1
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DAN
