The Proper Usage of GCC

The question has arisen elsewhere, so this is my possibly lame attempt to pitch in and hopefully lead to some clarification of somewhat foggy issues.

The General Chit Chat (GCC) has been evolving quite a bit as of late -- some would say for the worse perhaps -- but I think there's a lack of understanding about what this segment of AO is for. I'm no authority, but I'll suggest to you what I think it is.

GCC is meant to add a dynamic to the AO community. All in all, I see it as serving two main purposes:

1) To provide a miscellaneous forum for those who have questions that don't fit the mold of the other topical forums. For example, video games, industry developments, and other technology but not necessarily security-related topics.

2) To improve the overall interactivity of the AO community. Much of AO is built on professional relationships and trust, which is what, I think, sets AO apart from other forums. Go check out the other security- and technology-related forums. You'll get questions answered, but you'll never network together the kind of contacts you can potentially make here. In the security world, it's also important that you trust who you're taking advice from. You don't get that level of interactivity without "getting to know" other members, and you don't get to know them without first just chit-chatting with them. So again, here we have GCC. Get to know your fellow AOers so you can network professional contacts here more effectively. Find out who they are and what they're about.

However, I'd say there are purposes that GCC is NOT supposed to serve.

1) Nonsense -- to a certain degree anyway. There's always a level of nonsense that results from the "letting-off-steam" humor that frequents AO and inhabits the personalities of its members. However, all things in balance, this is one thing that can go to a harmful extreme. Threads that are nonsense-only do not help the AO community, and are "too much of a good thing", so those should be avoided. The occasional interjection of nonsense, when appropriate, is widely welcomed, however -- especially by ME. :D

2) Complaining/Flaming -- GCC is a world of its own in a sense, but it still adheres to the same general guidelines of AO posting. Flaming and complaining/whining about insignificant issues (mind you, not the same as expressing ligit concerns) does not in any way facilitate an improved AO community. It only detracts from it.

So, I hope these thoughts will prove useful for the further enjoyment of the GCC. Chat on!

--James

One would think this would be clarified by the stickies but noooo, apparently nobody reads those anymore. :(

Yeah, if only we get someone to stand over their shoulders and not let them post until they read the stickies...Alas, wishful thinking...;)

Bah... Stick it anyway. It's better that nothing.

Let it float around for awhile first. Sometimes if a thread says "sticky" beside it, the people that *need* to read it probly won't. They'll be like "aw, that's boring stuff" and click on something more interesting in the forum.

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Flaming and complaining/whining about insignificant issues (mind you, not the same as expressing ligit concerns) does not in any way facilitate an improved AO community.

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Come on, whats a forum without a flame and diss here and there....

Isn't that covered elsewhere in the official guidelines though? I think I recall reading something about how flaming can be used within certain limits as long as it doesn't get out of control. i.e., flaming someone for posting incorrect info, acting like they're in the know when they're not, etc. I believe that's the kind of flaming that's allowed.

Thanks for bringing that up Nem.

I haven't hardly entered this Forum because the term "general" sort of explained exactly what is in here. :) "general" crap with some good stuff mixed in.

Okay, here's my take on the flaming. Now I know I'm guilty of doing so, but I think flaming should be taken to a conference room or into PM's. Flaming should NOT be in the forum's, even if it is GCC. It only waste's bandwidth, people's time, etc blah. I know I'm guilty of flaming in the forum's and I'm going to try not to. If anyone has a personal matter they need to address with someone, do it in a PM to that user.

Just my $0.02..

I agree. I've slipped myself, but I try to adhere to the neg/report/forget routine.

Ok. I do have one question: how will this be enforced short of censorship by myself and/or Negative? Are the members going to point it out to others or completely ignore threads that "don't belong"?

Well, I don't think I'm in a position to answer that, so I'd say it's up to you and Neg. However, I've said before that if we'd indeed ignore such threads they would very quickly die out on their own.

The problem is we just can't resist responding to stupid posts. But remember, a stupid one-post thread will fall off the forums very, very quickly. We need to get in the habit of practicing that.

Take Tidal's four now-closed threads for instance. Had no one responded to his first drunken smiley post, where would those threads be now? Dead, and about to fall off the page, with no hassle at all.

Instead it turned into a flame war that got him banned. He even negged me b4 he was banned...gives me the impression that he went crazy. (It was only 1 or 2 points *max* so I'm not even complaining...it really was kinda funny).

Censorship vs Free-speech, this is not something mod usually want to get into it. It's kind of running after problem. Users should know that..

Even Senior doesn't even bother to neg those thread. If the Senior start negging the thread, then probably the mod will follow.

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Maybe you could have three strikes you're out, also enforced by the mods???

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three strikes...man we wouldnt have many users then at all, thats a dumb idea

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He even negged me b4 he was banned...gives me the impression that he went crazy.

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Copy that. Pretty lame kiddish way to "go out". Sad when these sort of crazy happening's go on but let's all move on now.

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Mods can delete posts, yet they choose not to, so they can satisfy their curiosity???

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First you act like a dumbass, get banned and now you come back and you start preaching. Was it that time of the month for you?

No mod do not choose to "NOT" delete posts to satisfy their curiousity...some posts need to be governed by the members themselves...and we do a decent job at it. The mods are not our baby sitters, and they cannot be everywhere all the time. If a thread is bad enough, it will get negged to death and thats the end of it...some threads are stupid...according to whom? Some people enjoyed the NTS and some didn't...big deal. Losing your sleep over it is even worse....seek help.

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Doesn't make sense to have the mods who pick and choose what they see as a post to be
deleted, and a post that they can sit and watch the fireworks/neggs/bannings.

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It makes perfect sense...they DO close threads that are neg magnets...and they DO close threads and merge them together if members double post or whatever. Some threads turn into flame wars because a member all of the sudden remembers that he's an idiot and starts acting like one...hence the flame wars and the negs that fly their way.

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Maybe you could have three strikes you're out, also enforced by the mods???

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How many strikes do you have?

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I think that the mods should show a lot more responsibility for the standard of posts here and
in other forums and earn the respect that is obviously lacking from some here.

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You were given the power of Antipoints...use it responsibly. Have u noticed how many mods we have around...again, they cannot possibly babysit every single thread.

Peace.

My take:

Make GCC a site benefit, as per custom avatars etc.
Perhaps 100 posts BEFORE right of entry ?
At least this way the member will have had to post in the security forums, and so the other members will have SOME idea of their character.

As stated previously, making the GCC so that there is no post count, told it is 'difficult' not impossible, give them time.

Remember: we are only human, with all that entails vis a vie stupidity, arrogance and an incredibly high expectation of every one else to do there bit, whilst we sit back and do zip........

Maybe even re-evaluate the admission levels to Addict / Senior, perhaps 400 addict, 600 senior ?
Assign other site benefits to those that reach these 'heights' akin to the custom title affair within the senior ranks at present............

Basically, get the site back to what it IS, not what it WAS.
Here we have an assembly of people who are prepared to assist others in their times of woe, and who do it for no more reward than a shiny gif over their name..........(works for me)

we need to capitalise on this good will, and forget about the in-fights that will occour everywhere as these will peter out.

And hopefully those of us who are left standing, will be able to make it to the UK addicts Xmas do j/k :D

short version: I believe that the site will progress from strength to strength, and that those who wish to cause problems will leave or be banned, even if they return, they will never remain in the forum as long as they indulge in stupidity for no reason. And so, when they finally stop arseing around, they will become what we ALL wish to be: A respected member of a respected forum.

Jeez, that was the short version, apologies for the rant, but this site has A LOT going for it.

Now I NEED a :drink:

gcc -o progname progname.c

I have to agree with those opinions stating that GCC should be used to allow people to get a better understanding of each other aside from a professional, security point of view. Discussions here, although not as controversial as those that might arise in Cosmos, allow for members to present opinions about anything Life. Sure it's smalltalk but it's a good way to start knowing more about others and be able to initiate links with other members [much as IRC can do too].

As well, I acknowledge the fact that sometimes GCC is used to blow off some steam, but that doesn't necessarily mean threads started in such moods should/are dumb or pointless.

Because AO is a 'democratic' forum for the most part it doesn't work out too easily to censor information [that does go against what I believe to be many members' personal views on how information should be handled in general]. But closing threads is acceptable and needed. Ignorance [in replies] to those threads that are below any user's dignity should be the easiest policy to adopt. If you see an obviously dumb thread, there's nothing one can do to lift it out of its misery. By posting in such threads you're almost sinking yourself in the same pile of crap as the original poster or whoever took the thread below an acceptable IQ. While I am aware that most users are not free of guilt when it comes to posting in dumb threads [and I know I have replied to some useless threads in the past] I think it should be a 'user-movement' to not answer such threads.

When it comes to newbies maybe some direction should be given.. but really, read the FAQs and Stickies before posting, it's going to improve everybody's experience after those 10 minutes max it takes you to do so.

...and I thought this thread was about the compiler.

Sheesh!

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...and I thought this thread was about the compiler.

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Wouldnt that go into the Porgramming Forum :p

lol, i thought this might be a tut on using the gcc compiler too

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Originally posted here by slinky2004
lol, i thought this might be a tut on using the gcc compiler too

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This is so retarded and redundant...but I thought the same thing. I should know by now not to get my hopes up. :rolleyes:

OH man! I was so happy after reading the title, only to find it vanish away when I read the actual post! I have been in tourble with GCC (THE GNU C COMPILER) since some days. I thought I owuld get help over that! but.... I am speechless!

Given that this thread is 2.5 years old and going nowhere I shall close it :D