Like you, and like most here, I'm no noob to Usenet either.
I started with, oh, I guess Masscomp or SunOS, maybe VAXVMS, where we used 'rn' and 'tin', where, even today, I use "vi" & telnet as my "client".
The point to keep in mind is that trolls have always existed o Trolls always prove one thing each time they post
All I have to do is point to what they trolls themselves wrote to prove it o The trolls swarm like gnats at any Usenet potluck to ruin it if they can
Who are the trolls who posted _zero_ value in this thread? o Fox's Mercantile (more than a half dozen times) o trader_4 (more than 14 posts in this thread) o dpb (two utterly worthless posts in this thread) o Ed Pawlowski (two completely off topic worthless posts)
An example of pointing to what these trolls post, look at this: o From: % "i thought he looked like a fake tit"
Clearly these people did not bring adult value to the Usenet potluck o Hence, the question, always, is "can" they (is it actually "in" them?)
Think about these facts when we realize how trolls ruin Usenet o People like Fox's Mercantile can't post a _single_ item of on-topic value o Even after having posted more than a half dozen times (all worthless)
Even as I haven't responded once to trolls from Fox's Mercantile or djb o Yet, like cowardly bullies, they insist on their god-given right to troll
What is an adult supposed to do about this infestation of trolls? o There is always the option to not feed them (which I clearly tried here) o Yet, that doesn't stop them (Fox's Mercantile _still_ repeatedly trolled)
Over the years, I've realized, all these trolls _can_ do .... is troll. o They have no adult value to add whatsoever; to any technical topic.
There are, as I see it, two fundamental use models on Usenet: a. The model I use, which is FAQ style - ask a question & work the answer b. There's the model the trolls use - post nothing of value - for amusement
Since the trolls like Fox's Mercantile & Ed Pawloski & djb are here for amusement, there's really nothing an adult can do - since they trolled this thread, multiple times, even though they were completely ignored.
Nothing can stop the gnats from infesting the Usenet potluck. o I tried to swat them away (e.g., trader_4); but they keep coming.
There are only two kinds of people who posted to this thread: o Those who posted technical value with purposefully helpful intent o And those trolls who prove, by what they post, this is amusement for them
We're having a serious technical conversation, Johann Beretta o And the trolls are consistently posting their child-like drivel.
The problem, with Usenet, as I see it... o Is that the trolls insist on proving they have a God-given right to troll
The good part about Usenet, as I see it... o Is that adults can still share nuggets of useful on-topic tech advice
I appreciate that YOU clearly have adult on-topic technical value to add o As do others like Jeff Liebermann who contributes greatly to Usenet