[somewhat OT] simple machine forums software update

[Nadav Har'El]

On Mon, Jul 04, 2011, is123 at zahav.net.il wrote about "Re: [somewhat OT] simple machine forums software update":
> I found there is no point arguing with people who put out propaganda so I
> decided the best way to deal with it is to make people aware of it, so they
> can stop using the software.  You could even call what I am suggesting a
> boycott.

Have you ever heard of "Innocent until proven guilty"?
Did you ever consider that these guys might have nothing against Israel,
and weren't even aware of this issue which they "inherited" from a ready-
made country list they used (see my previous mail ont he subject)?

It would only be fair to email them *before* you spread rumors about their
anti-Israeli-ness and ask people to boycott them.

> It's pretty obvious that the people who added that inflammatory,
> false language did it for a reason and it would be silly to think they
> would be open to discussion. So I have no intention wasting my time with

Again, I gave a very reasonable explanation why it is likely that they
added this "country" without *any* deliberate anti-Israeli intentions.

This reminds me of a very similar discussion held on Hamakor's mailing
list last year. It started with this mail, claiming that the author of
the Linux mint distribution hates Jews:
	http://www.mail-archive.com/discussions@hamakor.org.il/msg04091.html
and a pointer to the following "proof":
	http://whatsup.co.il/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=53463&highlight=mint&sid=a298074a5426893e705c6cf80be8d472
People started competing on how much hate and disinformation they can
spread on Linux Mint.

But then I gave the following explanation in Hebrew:

	http://www.mail-archive.com/discussions@hamakor.org.il/msg04099.html
	http://www.mail-archive.com/discussions@hamakor.org.il/msg04119.html

of why this was no deliberate anti-Israeli remark by Linux Mint, but rather,
a rather anachronistic joke from 1982 (about the first Israel-Lebanon war)
which found itself into the "fortunes" files of many Linux distributions,
including Linux Mint. The Linux Mint guy probably never even saw this joke,
and even if he did, he probably didn't understand it (depending so much
on obscure 1982 facts that hardly anyone but history buffs remember today).


-- 
Nadav Har'El                        |      Tuesday, Jul  5 2011, 3 Tammuz 5771
nyh at math.technion.ac.il             |-----------------------------------------
Phone +972-523-790466, ICQ 13349191 |The trouble with political jokes is they
http://nadav.harel.org.il           |get elected.