Evaluating opinions

[Ray Scheel]

Would it be possible to set up a separate list called
flame-fpusers at lists.celestial.com so this list could at least maintain an
illusion of being about *professional* issues encountered by filePro users
and developers?  

I can vouch that the conduct I see here on a regular basis has led several
fP developers I know to only subscribe to the list long enough to get a
question answered before unsubscribing again in an effort to avoid having to
sift through the weekly "let's flame each other" threads, and over the past
few weeks I've noticed an increase in the number of threads that drift into
playground arguments to the point I'm about ready to do the same thing.  

Likewise, if someone is subscribing to evaluate the credibility of fP's
claims as being a credible contender in today's IT world, the exchanges that
flare up here on a weekly basis would almost certainly scare them off.  How
many of you would invest in a new-to-you technology who's main end users
spent about 1/4 of their time calling each other names and trying to one-up
each other?

Frankly, I can't see how people who are heavily tied to fP as their primary
means of financial support find it productive to regularly nitpick and flame
each other over clear and long-standing issues that are holding this
platform back.  About the only regular poster to this list with a reason to
take personal offense to a criticism of fP's features is Ken, yet AFAICT, he
never starts the flame sessions.  

I've still got many years of maintaining fP applications ahead of me, and
this is one of the few resources available (and the only place to get a
quick suggestion for workarounds to the outstanding problems and weird
behaviors).  I've unsubbed before to avoid this during a time where I worked
with fP less than I have been lately, but I'm about ready to again even
though an answer I got here recently saved me another day of frustration and
I frequently read things that clarify points I've long been confused about.

Ray Scheel               ray.scheel at wsdtx.org 
Windham School District     Computer Services
Programmer                       936-291-5206