From: Daniel Carrera <dcarrera@...>
Date: 2003-07-13T02:24:02+09:00
Subject: Re: My brief and torrid affair with Ruby.

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On Sat, Jul 12, 2003 at 04:01:02PM +0900, Sean O'Dell wrote:

> You choose
> to be flexible with the term "viral" because you don't want to hear anyone
> use it to describe the GPL, and I choose to be less political than that.

It's really frustrating that you say that about me when I just said that 
it wasn't true!

Please don't do that.  It's a quick way to pick a fight.

I said that I truly honestly believe that my definition of viral is 
correct.

We know that the GPL and laughter are not viruses because the definition 
of virus is that of a wall of proein molecules surounding a single strand 
of DNA with no further structure.

Naturally, that's not what we mean when we say "viral".  So we have to 
figure out what properties we associate with viruses and use those to 
define viral.  I don't liken laughter with the properties of a virus.  I 
honestly think that a definition of "viral" that permits laughter is, at 
best incomplete.  You are free to disagree, and we can leave it at that.  
But please do not accuse me of saying things I did not say, or doing 
things I did not do.

If the GPL didn't exist, my definition of "viral" would not change.  I 
think that it is the most correct definition on the table.

What I did say was that I wouldn't have cared to argue about it, it if 
wasn't being applied to the GPL.  And I said that ultimately what I want 
is to agree to what the GPL does and does not do.

My opinion of "viral" is not based around some political agenda.  It is 
what I honestly think the word means.

What you call "viral", I would call "contageous".  I do think that 
laughter is contageous.  I think that "viral" is a proper subset of 
"contageous".

A lot of people use "viral" the way I do.
A lot of people use "viral" the way you do.

I have not accused you of modifying your definition to meet an agenda.  
Please have enough respect for me to not throw such an accusation at me.

- -- 
Daniel Carrera         | OpenPGP fingerprint:
Graduate TA, Math Dept | 6643 8C8B 3522 66CB D16C D779 2FDD 7DAC 9AF7 7A88
UMD  (301) 405-5137    | http://www.math.umd.edu/~dcarrera/pgp.html
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