[gmx-developers] FW: Gromacs quotes

[Mark Abraham]

I agree there are some quotes that can be thought sexist, in poor taste,
etc. That can vary from person to person, and change over time, so while
I'm all up for bringing an occasional smile to a face, it is never worth
doing so at cost to a frown ever.

Unfortunately, some bright spark decided to keep the quote database in a
binary push-only stack format (IIRC from when I looked at it a few years
ago with the view to removing some sexist quotes then). I could see no way
to get a whole-of-list output, never mind change the list in the back end.
Obviously one could harvest the list with a repetitious shell script (so I
can't even imagine why the binary format?), and re-push the approved ones
to an empty database, but there's still an unnecessary barrier to adding
more quotes. So, unless I'm wrong with the above, unless someone knows how
to re-implement the database more transparently, the current quote
mechanism will go on the cutting room floor in January :-)

Mark

On Sat, Dec 15, 2012 at 9:53 PM, Erik Marklund <erikm at xray.bmc.uu.se> wrote:

> I concur. I can help look through the list too. I remember seeing a quote
> or two that came across as sexist and that should go.
>
> Best,
> Erik
>
> 15 dec 2012 kl. 08.45 skrev Tsjerk Wassenaar:
>
> I second that. The criterium should be restrictive: if it can be insulting
> to some or is of questionable taste, then it shouldn't be in there. I do
> like the references to MD from literature, like Shakespeare and this one:
>
> "I will for a night put on the needful restraints." Ivanhoe, Sir Walter
> Scott
>
> Cheers,
>
> Tsjerk
>
>
>
> On Sat, Dec 15, 2012 at 1:57 AM, Justin Lemkul <jalemkul at vt.edu> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> On 12/14/12 4:27 PM, David van der Spoel wrote:
>>
>>> On 2012-12-14 21:55, Shirts, Michael (mrs5pt) wrote:
>>>
>>>> FYI, from my student.  We also have to turn these off in F at H to avoid
>>>> complaints.
>>>>
>>>> Might it be time to retire the quotes? Do we feel it has that much of a
>>>> purpose?  I wonder if it's causing more trouble than it's worth . . .
>>>>
>>>>  Maybe replace them with ads for the NRA?
>>> Sorry, also bad taste.
>>>
>>> We had discussion on it previously and the naysayers were less vocal
>>> than the
>>> proponents at the time.
>>>
>>> Does it have a purpose? It can put a smile on someone's face.
>>>
>>> Otherwise,
>>> setenv GMX_NO_QUOTES 1
>>> Or maybe we can make it a cmake option ;).
>>>
>>
>> I don't feel particularly strongly either way, but the complaint related
>> to some inappropriate content is well taken.  I think there are some quotes
>> that probably don't belong.  I'm not easily offended, but maybe we should
>> make an effort to eliminate any quotes that can be seen as objectionable,
>> as there are a few that may be seen as such due to foul language or other
>> reasons.
>>
>> Disabling the feature with an environment variable is fine (and
>> documented!) but I think, at the very least, we should clean up the
>> database, since the onus is on us, the developers, to produce a
>> user-friendly product.  I'm a big fan of witty quips, though :)  Maybe the
>> database should simply focus on humorous quotes from the developers and
>> other influential people?  Just a thought.
>>
>> "If I had a dime for every time I posted a link to the wiki..." (J.
>> Lemkul)  ;)
>>
>> -Justin
>>
>> --
>> ==============================**==========
>>
>> Justin A. Lemkul, Ph.D.
>> Research Scientist
>> Department of Biochemistry
>> Virginia Tech
>> Blacksburg, VA
>> jalemkul[at]vt.edu | (540) 231-9080
>> http://www.bevanlab.biochem.**vt.edu/Pages/Personal/justin<http://www.bevanlab.biochem.vt.edu/Pages/Personal/justin>
>>
>> ==============================**==========
>>
>> --
>> gmx-developers mailing list
>> gmx-developers at gromacs.org
>> http://lists.gromacs.org/**mailman/listinfo/gmx-**developers<http://lists.gromacs.org/mailman/listinfo/gmx-developers>
>> Please don't post (un)subscribe requests to the list. Use the www
>> interface or send it to gmx-developers-request@**gromacs.org<gmx-developers-request at gromacs.org>
>> .
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Tsjerk A. Wassenaar, Ph.D.
>
> post-doctoral researcher
> Biocomputing Group
> Department of Biological Sciences
> 2500 University Drive NW
> Calgary, AB T2N 1N4
> Canada
>
>  --
> gmx-developers mailing list
> gmx-developers at gromacs.org
> http://lists.gromacs.org/mailman/listinfo/gmx-developers
> Please don't post (un)subscribe requests to the list. Use the
> www interface or send it to gmx-developers-request at gromacs.org.
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------
> Erik Marklund, PhD
> Dept. of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University.
> Husargatan 3, Box 596,    75124 Uppsala, Sweden
> phone:    +46 18 471 6688        fax: +46 18 511 755
> erikm at xray.bmc.uu.se
> http://www2.icm.uu.se/molbio/elflab/index.html
>
>
> --
> gmx-developers mailing list
> gmx-developers at gromacs.org
> http://lists.gromacs.org/mailman/listinfo/gmx-developers
> Please don't post (un)subscribe requests to the list. Use the
> www interface or send it to gmx-developers-request at gromacs.org.
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://maillist.sys.kth.se/pipermail/gromacs.org_gmx-developers/attachments/20121217/6a36fb97/attachment.html>