[debate] debate guidelines -- first batch

[Gadi Evron]

Feel free to comment on these. They are non-specific guidelines to avoid 
issues of clatter and focus we encountered thus far.

Quoting:
--------
Quoting should serve as a part of your rebuttal, and not as a 
replacement for your positive added material.

Please quote only relevant parts of the original email you are replying 
to, but don't over-do it so that it's not taken out of context.

While email provides us with the ability to respond on specifics, we 
have no wish to remind our audience of the arguments we are trying to 
rebut beyond what we have to.

Specifics:
1. Your text should not exceed the quoted text, no exact ratios for now.
2. Try and avoid quoting more than three blocks of text in total 
(anecdotal quoting is allowed).

Length and focus:
-----------------
While no strict limitations are introduced, if your email seems too 
long--it is. Go back and choose what's important for you to respond to. 
This includes:

1. Strong arguments made by the original poster.
2. Arguments covered before by others, to which you have no new material 
to add.

Stay focused on what your message is.

Definitions:
------------
1. You may challenge the definition of the original poster during the 
first day of the discussion and in your first response. Afterwards, 
accept it as the definition to be discussed and stick to it.

2. After the debate has died down and/or one approach has been well 
covered (as you see it), if you believe a different approach would be 
better, define it and start the debate.

Style:
------
We are naturally using the English language, but while we are not all 
expert writers, making our text short and to the point helps.

1. Run a spell checker, but we don't mind the occasional typo.
2. Show a natural progression between evidence and claims.
Be brief.

	Gadi.


-- 
Gadi Evron,
ge at linuxbox.org.

Blog: http://gevron.livejournal.com/
Security blog: http://gadievron.blogspot.com/