[TriLUG] 86 bit question

[Aaron S. Joyner]

jason watts wrote:

> yea, sorry, long day and big brain fart... ment all that as 64 bit 
> systems
>
>> From: Ian Kilgore <ian at trilug.org>
>> Reply-To: Triangle Linux Users Group discussion list <trilug at trilug.org>
>> To: Triangle Linux Users Group discussion list <trilug at trilug.org>
>> Subject: Re: [TriLUG] 86 bit question
>> Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 17:55:24 -0400
>>
>> On Fri, Sep 15, 2006 at 05:40:48PM -0400, jason watts wrote:
>> > this box is an 86 bit pc, was wondering if i downloaded centos 4 
>> ... the 86
>> > bit version, would i have to download then ALL 86 bit software for it?
>> >
>> 86 bit support is generally terrible, ranging from nonexistant to
>> nonexistant.  You could try running a 64 bit distro, though.
>
I'm so sad that Ian K. beat me to making that joke.  Kudos to Ian for 
doing a good job of it, though.

I'm also going to venture off on a short tangent, as a suggestion to 
Jason Watts, and the few other people who've been guilty of this 
recently.  When starting a new thread on the list, please actually 
compose a new message.  The mechanics of this differ from email client 
to email client, but replying to an existing thread, and changing the 
subject, is not a sufficient way to break it from the existing thread*.  
This isn't really a thing I'm complaining about because it makes my life 
hard**, but it probably measurably decreases the likelihood that you'll 
get an appropriate response to your question.  This thread is a good 
example, because your first response ("what is this stuff?") was a reply 
to Tanner's message about the "Ohio LinuxFest 2006".  Since I live in 
California now and have no intention of traveling to Ohio, it's entirely 
likely that I, and anyone else who wasn't interested in the LinuxFest, 
wouldn't even open the thread but would delete it out-right.  The second 
time you replied to your own message*** to start the thread "86 bit 
question"****.

I don't mean to single you out in a negative way, I just want to bring 
it to your attention and the attention of anyone else with this habit, 
that it's counter productive to your presumed goal of soliciting 
information from the people on this list.  So, please take the 
suggestion as it's meant, with a smile and good intentions.  We'll look 
forward to more interesting questions in the future.  I will now return 
you to your regularly scheduled programming.

Aaron S. Joyner

* - For a full discussion of why, read up on the "In-Reply-To:" header.
** - Although it almost made me miss an 86bit architecture joke, which 
would have been a travesty in itself.
*** - Not ideal, but that's another discussion.
**** - A truly classic subject line.