FLASH: OT?: CLEARING THE AIR: My Personal "Stand" Regarding Macromedia,AND, EQUALLY, Regarding Its Representatives Who Post Here.

[unique]

[Non-pithy.]


[For healthful purposes only; please *do not* read this post merely a 

personal "excuse" to enflame your (potential, of course) "preferred 

irritability" toward receiving LLOONNGG OT posts/emails; thank you!]


[And, if ya hate this post, and hafta pay "per-second" for your 

on-line time, please send me a statement about same, and your bill!]


[And, if ya don't know what OT means, please learn how to look these 

kindsa things up on the Web, IMHO! Hint: http://www.google.com . 

Second hint: "OT" is an "acronym". So is "IMHO". Etc.]


Hello to all who care,


Perhaps some clarification is in order here.


Despite the way that it may seem to some of you, I *don't* 

particularly enjoy sitting here, "seemingly constantly" *banging* on 

my keyboard, about my OPINIONS/CONCERNS/FEARS/DOUBTS regarding the 

"apparent Company (*not* 'Rep!') Policies" that seem (to me, at 

least) to be *semi-* communicated to us from Macromedia.


And, yes, I'll admit to occasional RANTS, on-list ... maybe, even, to 

a lapse or two in "appropriate usage" of "OT". I apologize if any of 

you feel that I've ever abused your bandwidth concerns/needs.


And, no, I am *not* in the employ of Adobe (nor am I in the employ of 

any other software company, for that matter). ( ;-) , esp. to MM.)


And, if you believe that I lack respect for the positions, and, 

especially, the situations, of the fine (I mean that) MM reps who 

take time, both "on-the-clock", and "off-the-clock" (Hi John) to 

contribute here, then you are just plain dead wrong.


No one ever said (unless, mebbe, MM) that these reps "have to" 

participate ... IMO, we, as this list/community, have apparently, 

somehow, garnered MM's attention/"respect"; and I, for one, am 

grateful to witness, and to have-an-opportunity-to-learn-from, their 

participation here.


I fully realize that MM's reps who respond here "just may have" some 

restrictions placed upon them by MM, as to what they are 

"free-to-say", and, "not-free-to-say", on our Flasher list.


Plus, I fully understand (and seem to constantly experience / 

"not-experience") that not all MM people may have 

opportunity/time/inclination to "communicate freely and/or fully" 

*here*. (Only referring to "those" who are "above" "the reps", in 

this paragraph.)


(These are "merely" *my* opinions that I have garnered from my 

participation in this and other lists that benefit from MM reps 

posting.)


HOWEVER ... AND HERE COMES MY "PUNCH LINE" ...


Seemingly, the "best" way to get my OPINIONS/CONCERNS/FEARS/DOUBTS 

"out to" (and, get feedback "bock from"), a "real, responsive 

audience", has been to post here.


BTW, before I ever even joined this list (October 1998), I "spent" 

much of the prior year being a "regular" on a "tough" newsgroup. Top 

poster, some weeks.


( ... alt.fan.art-bell ... those of you who have both curiosity and 

deja searching capabilities may feel free to hunt up my "net-newbie 

days", and my "inner-depths" there! ; just search on

uniqueptd [dot] net

(for email *addy*) ... I've NEVER hidden my true identity (I'll worry 

about THAT when I run for Public Office! ... or, probably, *not*, 

even then.) ... though I've used varying *email names* (not addy's), 

at AFA-B, just for the fun of it)


So, I wanna say, very clearly and *in my own behalf*, that I have 

*never knowingly violated* *any* "netiquette" guidelines (having 

willingly "received education" about these matters, at the hands of 

kind (though perhaps "seemingly harsh"!) other "regulars" on that 

newsgroup (esp. BT, GQ, JGM, and Jamie) ...


... all of this, to respond to TWO comments made, on this list, one 

by MM rep John (3/29/00, regarding "crossposting"), and the other by 

MM rep Matt (3/29/00, regarding quoting *someone*, BUT ANONYMOUSLY).


[*HEY!* *OUCH!* I just noticed: SAME DATE, and within ONE HOUR of 

each other, to boot! THAT "STINGS"! Ganging up on me?]


(BTW and FYI, (1) the "taboo" form of "crossposting" *doesn't* mean 

availing oneself of the convenience of putting more than one email 

addy in the "To:" field, on occasion; it is a more specific 

"violation of ethics" than that; and (2) I very recently have emailed 

Matt, privately, about the "quoting", in an effort to be sure that he 

and I get "square" about this.)


So, please, MM / MM-reps, ENOUGH of *THAT "NETIQUETTE" SCOLDING 

SILLINESS*, okay?


(Or maybe J and M were just in some mutual mood for that particular 

hour. No hard feelings.)


Frankly, I *do* see that I've "used" MM reps as a *direction* for my 

frustration. I publicly apologize about the seeming *necessity* for 

this; however, *they* have been my only apparent "in" toward "the 

real decision makers" at MM. Yes, the "Wish Lists" are great, as far 

as they go, but many of my concerns "specifically regard" The Flash 

*Community* (and especially this particular "niche" thereof) ... I 

always want to address *you*, too, about these matters (... and am 

*always* open to receiving both pro- and con- feedback ... I'm still 

learning, too!)


MM, PLEASE *STOP* DOING/NOT-DOING things that lead some of us Flash 

Developers toward feeling *fear* and *frustration* regarding our 

future careers as-Flash-Developers.


The LAST THING that I wanna hafta do is WASTE MY TIME ON a WHOLE NEW 

LEARNING CURVE with LiveMotion. 'nuff said, I hope.


-----


OK ...


MY BOTTOM LINES (only 3!):


--


(1) I *love* Flash. For a month (January 1998), I'd naively hoped 

that "The Web", and "HTML", would become my "career savior". Then, 

just one month into merely "surfing", I discovered some great Flash 

site, GOT SUPER-WOWED, and imagined that I might eventually "make a 

living" doing stuff, for the Web, that *really feels like* expression 

of my deeper creativity. Many of you guys and gals can probably 

relate. BTW, I've attained my goal, quite "well-enough", thank you!


--


(2) I *greatly* enjoy and appreciate this particular list especially.


--


(3) I suspect that there is a chance that "corporate-think" "out 

there" could *ruin* some of our current careers.


And, most of us have probably seen where "corporate-think" has gotten 

Microsoft.


I merely mean to express my opinion that I vehemently believe that, 

as "professionals/entrepreneurs", we must remain *conscious*, and 

*as-intelligent-as-possible*, about "corporate behavior" that 

*clearly (IMO) may affect* our future. YMMV, of course.


-----


Okay, 'nuff said, I hope! (My fingers are getting tired!)


... back to my ActionScript-Phobia "Newbies",


... and, thanks for your time to read this, and for the "use" of your 

bandwidth,


... and, BTW, I NEVER use CAPS to YELL; in fact, I NEVER YELL!


Ken Sherwood


p.s. In any potential future posts I promise to attempt to remember a 

formality of addressing certain of my subject headers to "MM Reps", 

and not to "MM" ... I *do* understand the difference.


p.p.s. To any who may wish to respond to me "personally" about this 

(*on-list* is generally better!): Please, for this purpose only, just 

use one character ... "K" ... for your entire subject header. 

Otherwise I've too many emails to search through, sorry.


p.p.p.s. HEY MM, howzabout offering me that Quality Control Job that 

I've been begging for?!


p.p.p.p.s. My swan song?


--


Check out http://www.kensherwood.com on Monday, April 10.


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