Re: A letter for Tom/RGSG contributors

[Bowie Poag <bjp primenet com>]

> Hmmmm.  Okay.  Six weeks.  So when the UISG was the official
> style guide, and Tom's RSG was the parallel effort, it was
> extremely dangerous and disruptive to have two versions out at
> the same time.  Yet, *NOW*, when Federico's GUIG is the official
> style guide, and the UISG has become the parallel effort, it's
> suddenly a good, helpful thing.  What?

Apparently you didnt pick up on the detail of what I've been saying all
along, John. Here's a refresher:

Two *cooperative*, non-competing projects on the same list CAN be a good
thing. Two *competing* projects on the same list are a bad thing. Read
what I've said in the past a little more carefully; I choose my words very
carefully on these kinds of issues.
 
> I thought you said it was a horrible thing to have two versions
    ^^^^^^^
> of the style guide being discussed at the same time in the same
> list.  Are you planning on moving the UISG to a different mailing
> list to keep down the destructive crosstalk, just as you demanded
> Tom do?

A minor mistake on your part. I'm on the record several times saying that
concurrent (read: NON-competitive) development of several guides was a
good thing; That it lets all of us see new approaches to the same problems
that none of us had thought about before. Competitive competition,
however, is disasterous for a limited-bandwidth resource like this mailing
list. I would have had no problem at all, if Tom were to resume
development on the RSG in this fashion, since we both had the same target
now. It wouldnt have even been necessary for him to go to his own mailing
list; just preferable.  Everyone on the mailing list is heading in the
same direction, now that the lack of focus has been corrected.

If youre angry at the fact Tom dumped the RSG, take it up with Tom. Not
us. We're busy working on our own.

Now, if you dont mind, i'd prefer that we discuss the issues at hand here.
I have very little interest in politics.

Bowie