OT Farewell friends, from Steven Vollom, fine-artist retired.

[steven vollom]

My thanks to Goh Lip for his recent and continued kind support.  Thanks also 
to Dotan Cohen for understanding my real situation and accepting and helping 
me over and over.

This is Steven being Steven, saying thanks to the List and good by.

Thanks! Nepal.  You were a catalyst to aid in my understanding of at least a 
part of what I believe is good about the Linux operating system.  And you are 
a big part of what is right about Linux, because you a part of a very small 
segment of society that understands a computer's function.

Most users of computers are among the Microsoft variety of users.  They have 
been dumbed down and made dependent on the Linux level of user just to be able 
to function.  I hope that that doesn't confuse you.  Most Microsoft users do 
not need the Administrator for permissions; most Microsoft users don't 
understand the task of the Administrator.   It appears to me that the average 
Linux user with perhaps a little instruction could be the Administrator for 
almost any company that uses a computer, especially if they use Microsoft 
products.  I think a short learning curve would provide understanding for the 
difference of language.

Going from box to box routinely fixing the common problems that generally 
plague the different businesses and business applications, the users are kept 
in their compartment, with enough respect for their use of a computer to be 
considered computer literate.  Still, their literacy may be only the skilled 
use of Excel or Office still requiring the guru level of help to keep their 
systems in repair.

There is another level of people who use specific parts of a single 
application, which because it is their specialty gives them a position of 
respect by being able to do their small task in the use of a computer.  They 
may be highly skilled at creating a convincing presentation for the sale of an 
item for their employer, but they also think that a mount point has something 
to do with sex.  When you ask them if they wouldn't prefer fixing a broken 
application themselves, they respond that they do not have time in their busy 
schedule; there are others who do that kind of thing.

Of course they do not mention the fact that they don't think they could handle 
that level of service and have internal questions of whether they should be 
given so much respect for knowing how to use Power Point effectively.  Thus 
they never try moving to that level of understanding.  Frankly they would hate 
to have anyone know how limited they are in their knowledge of the use of a 
computer.

Next there is the employer who secretly would like to reduce the number of $95 
per hour visits to his company to fix the everyday problems that repeat 
themselves when using a computer.  He uses the excuse that he doesn't have 
time anymore to do such things, all-the-while intimidated by his lack of 
knowledge.  The one thought ever present is the fear that someone will find out 
his or her limitations.  We are such a proud people.

Next there is the group of people who never use their computer for anything 
but playing games.  They were created by the dumb-them-down society of experts 
who needed a way to sell a $1500 computer, which I might add, has the respect 
of being the tool of an intellectual, to be in demand by the average Joe, who 
is threatened by the people using Power Point.  Still, the commercial machine 
keeps running until everyone has a tool that far exceeds the capability to 
guide Voyager into the unknown.  I wonder the untold hours that are spent 
playing video games on machines with that capability.

You Nepal are among the 20 or so percent of people who understand the function 
of a computer.  You can modify, adjust, personalize the capabilities, fix, and 
chatter about the shortcomings of those above you who actually design and 
provide a tool to criticize.  You can complain about the new technologies 
prior to learning their new function for a period of time while facing your 
fears of whether you can handle the new thing that is coming along.  You are 
not so different from everyone else.  And although you have not been kind to 
me, I would cherish the ability to be more like you.  Of course, I too would 
make a few small changes, because I don't want to be exactly like you.  I 
still want to be uniquely me.  Nonetheless, I would love to know the things 
you know.

When I left the Kubuntu Users List a couple of days ago, I felt for your 
concerns.  Like mine have been, they are really quite selfish.  You want to 
control the direction of the discussion to serve your needs more.  You believe 
the precious time of the List is better used if not wasted on such neophytes 
as me.  But does what you want differ so much from what I want.

You want me out of the equation, because you have things you want to know and 
things you want to fix with your computer, and frankly you are too much right 
about which is of greater importance.  Helping you move ahead is best when 
considering the advancement of technology.  But helping me, at the bottom of 
the technology base is also a good thing.  Haven't you noticed, for instance, 
how superior the Linux Operating System is from the other choices of operating 
systems?  Haven't you at least wondered why the percentage of Linux users 
doesn't increase over the other competitive systems?  And, don't you realize 
that if you don't figure a way to bring the Power Point specialists up a notch 
or two and the gamers up a couple of  notches or more and people like me up 
the vast number of necessary notches  to a point where we are using those 
technologies too, that Linux will stay, looking at the behinds of the brain-
dead, dumbed-down, Microsofties, the manipulated masses that spend their $89 
per year purchasing unneeded virus protection from the people who are probably 
writing the virus' anyway, just to make their product needed.

I am so very fortunate to be an old recluse.  I am so unimportant in the scope 
of things that people can be unkind to me without it making much difference to 
me.  I don't have to deal with pride, because I really don't care if people 
think I am intelligent or not.  I would prefer that people think I am 
intelligent, but in the end, I don't really care.  I don't have an 
intellectual's reputation to protect.  As a result, I am able to ask the 
questions, that all those people who don't want people to know their 
limitations won't ask, and get the answers to the things I and they want to 
know.  The worst thing that happened until you came along is that they thought 
I was naive and stupid, and they were right; and what I say to that is, so 
what.  Answer my question and I won't be quite so naive and stupid.

I have something I think maybe you have lost.  Every time I learn something 
that heals a weakness in my understanding of my computer, I am just elated.  I 
am so excited and happy that I laugh till the tears run down my face.  How 
long has it been that you have had something like that in your life.

You have to realize that in past posts you were responsible for helping me 
too.  You don't have to like me to get my gratitude.  Every help you gave me 
while making the decision to not like me was and is still appreciated, because 
you helped me – and I really don't care if you don't like me.  I would prefer 
you did, but after all has been said, it really doesn't matter very much.

This email may seem to be a criticism of you, but it really is not.  I 
understand your frustration.  Now if you will try to understand mine, you will 
see the similarity.  By not knowing what you know, and desperately wanting 
that knowledge, what should I do?  When I get a response to one of my stupid 
questions, with 15 follow-ups confirming the solution, should I ask that my 
answers be put to the bottom of the list.  Should I not be grateful for the 
compassion shown me from those who can't remember when someone didn't know the 
things I am learning.

Nepal, you have a great mind.  Additionally you should not be criticized for 
what you said.  Nonetheless,  previously in this email I talked about the 
great mass of people, too shy to show their limitations, too proud to then 
reveal them, and held back from progress, due to that most human nature, 
pride.

I am staying away from the list, because I can't bear hurting something so 
wonderful.  There were just too many of your mindset, sending confirming emails 
off list; I could see the damage I was causing, so I have left.

I have no right to give advice, but I choose to do so anyway.  To you who make 
up membership of the List:

You will never truly understand how many you benefit with your kind and selfless 
giving of knowledge.  But I have one thing against many of you.

You have forgotten how fortunate you are for those who develop Kubuntu.  Not 
all of you, but many of you.  As low as I am on the list of users, I have 
learned that judgment is not good, if you haven't taken the time to really 
apply the new technologies as they come along.

I have been with Kubuntu since Feisty.  I remember missing prior features as I 
moved to new technologies.  Again I was more fortunate than most, because 
being so low on the chain of users, I feared indicating my displeasure for the 
embarrassment it would cause me, when finally I understood the benefit of the 
change.  Too many are too quick to criticize.  Those who selflessly provide our 
FREE operating system have never had the goal to hold anyone back.  Every 
change is an effort to improve our computing experience.  So the least we 
should do is give each change some time, and some respectful trial, before 
speaking against the change.

Recently I applied this very opinion in the use of my own computer.  I was 
having permission problems.  After finding that I set my computer to ext4 file 
system, many recommendations included pointed out that permission problems had 
been found with ext4 users.  A dissenting opinion suggested it was due to my 
improper mounting of drives.  I was told that my mount points that started 
with /media/sda1 or Disk-2, or whatever other identity I might choose were 
probably the cause of my problems, because of the computer's designed use of 
the term /media.  Both conditions seemed possible to my limited understanding, 
and when you have so many people helping you with differing opinions, you don't 
want to slight the efforts of anyone.

So I decided to take a tack that perhaps could cause me additional work and 
more problems, but may in fact reduce the number of complaints attached to the 
ext4 file system.  Ext4 may or may not be a stable file system, however, it 
deserves to be held responsible for only those things that are caused by it 
and not because of a failure on my part for wrongly labeling mount points.  
Rather than allow the ext4 file system to absorb the additional negative, I 
decided to change the mount points first.  From /media/disk-1, I changed to 
/home.  It served two purposes.  It allowed me to separate all saved data from 
the operating system and other applications that might fail and cause the 
additional problem of loss of data.  It also allowed the computer to focus on 
it's created use in the handling of term media.  I had used /media as a mount 
point because I was told it didn't really matter what you named it, it 
mattered only that you knew what you named it.  Being a fine-artist by trade, I 
used the term media as it relates to art, and that really has nothing to do 
with my cdrom, which is how the computer sees it.

I formatted and reinstalled my Operating System with /, swap, and mounted 
/home for my primary drive, then /home/steven/backup as mount point for my 
backup drive, all with ext4 file system.  In a few days I will know if the 
permission problems I was having is related to the ext4 file system or perhaps 
changing the mount point will confirm that that was the problem.  In any event, 
I will not, I guess the term is 'flame', the  file system unless it may be 
responsible for my problems.  Additionally the result will give further 
information on the problem.  I did not do this because I am a nice guy; I did 
this because I can so seldom contribute, and I need to do so.

I no longer miss the missing changes of the past.  I am too busy trying to 
keep up with the current technology.

I truly love you all, even my adversaries.  Accept my gratitude for all your 
council.

Cudos, Cheers, Chao Bello and Cordially,

Steven Vollom, fine-artist retired