[cobalt-users] STOP THE BICKERING PLEASE

["Malcolm Hills" <associates@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I like many others rely on this list to keep my one lonely server working.
I have had very helpful advice in the past (over the last 5 years) from the
lists, from all the experts including Jeff, Bruce, Zeffie, Bassi and many
others. Sometimes the advice has been conflicting, other times it has been a
curt "check the archives" but most of the time it has been very useful.
However, one thing that has been apparent over the years is that the list
needs ALL of the experts, All of the time - even if just to keep the others
in check.  I have also commissioned Zeffie (despite his curt nature) to do
the odd bit of work for me when I felt that I was too far out of my depth to
do it myself (or the urgency was such that I couldn't wait for possible
answers from the list).  I certainly haven't made him rich, but I trusted
him.  I could have picked any of the other experts to do this work for me,
but at the time Zeffie was the only one awake - so he got the first job -
and because of that he got the others too.  That however does not stop me
reading the advice from the others, nor considering them in the future.

The lists DO provide advertising for those who provide the help in a very
subtle way.  I wouldn't have consulted Zeffie or considered any of the
others if I hadn't trusted them - and that trust has been built up over the
years by reading their posts on the lists.  That surely has got to be the
best free advertising there can be.

If the experts start leaving the list because they can't agree then we will
go back 10 years in time with the blind leading the blind - If that happens
then I will have no option but to ditch my RAQ and find something that I can
get good peer support on.  I run ONE single production server - like many
others on this list  -  I need a good peer network to keep me going
sometimes.........

Please everyone - resolve your differences, bite the upper lip and settle
down

Malcolm Hills