# Wblock, please delete my account.



## Jorge Luis (Jul 11, 2016)

I haven't started the thread "About non-free drivers and firmware. I WANT TO DELETE THEM" in Daemon Forums: http://daemonforums.org/showthread.php?t=9872

If I knew that the following topic lead to confusion, I would not have posted this topic in openbsd-misc mailing list and here in FreeBSD Forums:

https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=145589638702932&w=2

https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/56714/

wblock@, please delete my account.


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## marino (Jul 11, 2016)

just don't post anymore.
I hope threads are not deleted.  That's a form of censureship.


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## wblock@ (Jul 12, 2016)

I am not the only moderator or administrator, and it is not necessary to start a thread to ask for your account to be deleted, but I will do it.

That will not delete the thread.  I will not delete that thread.  I'm still not sure exactly what happened, but it annoyed some people and that might have been the intent.  But it happened, and it's history.


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## scottro (Jul 12, 2016)

Once I began to get into a forum flame war (not here), and suddenly, my cat became very ill and, in the end, passed away. At that point, I realized how meaningless it was to worry about what people on the Internet, who I will probably never see, think of me and how unimportant most of these things actually are.   (Though one does try to keep one's online presence reasonable, in case a future employer sees it.)

The thread itself can be instructive--reading only things that one agrees with can be rather limiting.  Although it may turn acrimonious, I think marino@'s view is better, just don't post anymore. If there are things you said in the thread that you regret, use that existing account  to say that you regret them. 

This is of course, just my own opinion, but please don't worry too much about what might have been said and as the thread may truly be instructive to others, it's best that it remains.


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## ANOKNUSA (Jul 12, 2016)

wblock@ said:


> I'm still not sure exactly what happened, but it annoyed some people and that might have been the intent.



The intent probably was there, and the annoyance is understandable.


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## marino (Jul 12, 2016)

that mail post was hilarious!  I did find it strange that a soon-to-be-famous programmer believed that A) somebody would actually delete a post to a mail list (which only affects that org's html archives but no others) and B) it wouldn't be in permanent ink on the internet anyway.

Moreover, using various aliases isn't good for reputation IMO.  Use a real name and stand by what you say (or apologize for it, but don't deny it).  People will respect that a lot more than attempted redacting.


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## ShelLuser (Jul 12, 2016)

In my opinion there are a few golden rules on the Internet. Don't take criticism personally, and most certainly don't read between the lines. The written word is probably the most horrible way to express opinions and trying to get your state of mind across, especially when you disagree with something. Good luck trying to tell someone you don't agree without coming over as rude or even worse. Smileys can help a bit, provided that the other party understands your intent and doesn't pick it up as if you're laughing in their face 

Do keep in mind: even when something does come over as rude it doesn't automatically have to mean that the other person also intended it to be rude. Of course this area is also heavily favored by Internet trolls.

Which brings me to my other point: a few rotten apples don't represent a whole community. You'll always come across people you may not like, just like you'll also come across several who you might take a liking to.

Most of all: don't take it too seriously. As said above: the Internet is just that. It does help to keep in mind that you're talking to real people and not robots (something _many_ people tend to forget at times it seems) but even so... In the end it's still not the same as real life.


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## ANOKNUSA (Jul 12, 2016)

ShelLuser, I agree with you. Communicating tone of voice and nuanced, abstract ideas in nothing but text is difficult for anyone who hasn't mostly mastered a language, and the Internet is full of people trying to communicate in languages that might be largely familiar to them. It's true that I can't know for certain what the OP's original intent was, but someone whose posts seem to routinely inflame a community; who knows these posts do so; who uses multiple anonymous identities to make these posts; and who is later concerned about how their reputation might be affected, probably knows exactly what they're doing.

Personally, I think marino@ has the right idea: if you really care about what you said, is just own up to it, apologize if necessary, and move on. I know I've certainly said stupid and insulting things to people online---sometimes unintentionally, other times deliberately---and while I can't erase my past, I like to believe that time and contrition can take care of things. While decent people shouldn't mistreat each other on the Internet, they also shouldn't judge each other too harshly for something that might have been said in the (relatively) distant past.


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## sidetone (Jul 12, 2016)

It doesn't look like a big deal. You said you didn't start the thread at daemonforums, which was the only problematic set of posts I saw or maybe I didn't understand it.


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## drhowarddrfine (Jul 12, 2016)

ShelLuser said:


> Don't take criticism personally, and most certainly don't read between the lines.


Well that's the stupidest thing I have ever heard.


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## ANOKNUSA (Jul 22, 2016)

Any chance we can close this thread, maybe sticky it, and perhaps get a new "One account per lifetime" rule? 'Cuz this crap is just tiresome. I'm an historian by training, so seeing someone trying to whitewash the past rather than learn from their own mistakes hits me hard right where it hurts.


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## wblock@ (Jul 22, 2016)

I'll close this thread.  As far as accounts, the small amount of abuse we've seen with that has been handled on a case-by-case basis.


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