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.
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.