I did not intend to brand him a troll, but he was trolling with his wild
speculation which suggested strongly that I was proceeding from bizarre
legalistic motives. I don't find that kind of attitude very helpful,
and it seemed designed only to foster paranoia about something which is
really quite simple.
Daniel R. Tobias wrote:
I'm disappointed that Finkelstein was first
labeled a troll (by Jimbo
himself) and then put on moderation; this despite the fact that I
disagree with many of his views. I found his writing interesting and
thoughtful, and of some use in current debates given that he presents
a viewpoint very similar to Brandt's, but (as somebody put it on this
list a long time ago) speaks fluent geek, showing more respect for
Wikipedia and "free" computing projects in general than does Brandt,
who can't resist getting in a few sneers at Internet culture and
teenage geeks. Thus, he's better at presenting a particular set of
ideas and criticisms in a way we can understand and appreciate, even
if we still don't agree with them. He's not a "troll" unless you
Assume Bad Faith about him.