Klaus and all -- As I *recall* that thread began with discussion of XP2 as
in-camera positive (which is my interest in it). And I think it ranged
thru possibilities of XP2 as large negative for contact printing & effect
of color-cast on same.
But every worthy topic has tendrils & excursions. These messages I found
fully content-laden, adding to the sum total of useful photo knowledge.
It really is hard to parcel off such exchanges -- and remember, some of us
are on only one list, not quite so ready to pigeonhole. (The magazines,
the few remaining, are often light years behind this list -- you get
their in-house "expert," sometimes saying only he [yes, "he" of course]
doesn't know. Here we have dozens, and even our mistakes sometimes shake
an expert out of his tree -- to bring us a really choice coconut.)
But if I were paying per message, the posts I'd really object to would be
the broad beginner questions which the "chemists" (read "pros") don't
reply to ever, so that they generate a flock of baby (read "beginner",
wrong or off-true) answers, which lower the quality of discourse.
Which is not to say newbies are less than *very* welcome. We always need
new minds & personalities and to teach (and prosyletize!) as well as to
learn. I realize the archive has gotten so big it's daunting to tackle.
But to come on with a *total* beginner question without having at least
read the FAQ (where most of those answers reside) and so at least have an
orientation to begin with, is to wear a big "I'm a lazy no-good slacker"
button. More to the point, if unchecked, this level of discussion will
destroy what everyone came for -- the stream of knowledge and expertise
that flows here.
A rare saintly expert will patiently reiterate "See Spot, see Spot run."
Most will not. (Some of them have done so until they wore out.) In defense
of the willing-to-work-for-knowledge-but-still-ignorant, I realize not
everyone is born knowing what an FAQ is and how to get it.
Perhaps the FAQ could be issued with each new "subscription"
automatically. (Is that possible, oh List Master?)
Meanwhile, follow the same protocol you followed to subscribe, but for
the message write:
get alt-photo-process FAQ
Notice, two hyphens and two only.
As for list servers that censor the sender's address -- that's outrageous,
but perhaps some consumer indignation is in order to the so-called
"provider"?
Finally, of course even so-called "beginner" questions can lead to
extremely useful and interesting exchanges in which even the "expert"
learns something. It's just that to start without any backgrounding
effort of one's own is not, oh what shall I say, good citizenship?
Judy