I know Wolfram's long gone, but work intervened before I could finish this:
If you read my posts from back then you'll see that I didn't accept what people said as the "end-all, be-all" because there were other people who said otherwise and the discussion was open.
As one of the "other people" who agreed with you, Wolfram, I appreciate your arguing on behalf of those positions. I gave up and abandoned you because I couldn't handle the fact that people were getting angry because of my arguments. I couldn't take the heat. I applaud you for standing your ground, and I don't think you have anything to apologize for.
PaulJ:
I'll just add that I've never perceived in anything Wolfram has written the slightest hint of a superiority complex, and in fact, if I was more of a glutton for punishment, I'd start threadsucking right now Bureaucracy 1 (the whole 10000 posts) to see if I can read what others have apparently read so clearly. Actually, I think that Wolfram has always been one of the most composed and level-headed (when it comes to tone) posters that I have read.
What Paul said.
I never read or participated in Bureaucracy or Roll Your Own on WX, being mostly a show thread lurker in those days. So I wasn't aware of the arguments that went on in those threads. As a longtime lurker, I had an illusion of understanding the culture of board, but not venturing out of the show threads gave me a limited view of the picture. Once I did get involved in Bureaucracy here, I honestly wasn't prepared for the vehemence of the anti-change crowd. (And for the record, I'm cured of proposing any changes from now on.) And maybe there ought to be something in the FAQ or the Bureaucracy header: "Be wary of coming into Bureaucracy proposing a bunch of changes, because most Buffistas like the board the way it is."
Bureaucracy fwiw tends to be the thread where people lose capital and not gain it.
Hmm. That would have nice to have known on, say, the afternoon of March 20, before I dug myself into a deep dark pit, board capital-wise.
Deena, to Wolfram:
I want to see you in another thread. I want to know how you feel about the fact that your wife will be having a little wolfie in June, and whether or not you're prepared to name him Buffistino Monkeypants Wolfram. I want to know if you like practicing law and what kind you practice and whether or not you give change to bums on the street. I want to get to know you outside of preferential voting or revisiting old issues.
I understand this, but some people might like to keep their private lives mostly private, and still feel like they can participate in the decision making on the board. Maybe I'm a little paranoid, but the recent ugliness (banned poster making threatening noises) makes me feel like staying mostly in the shadows. On the other hand, I posted in Natter for the 1st time ever yesterday, and the 2nd time today.