Rethinking TeX in STEM: Online Thu 29 Sep: 6.30pm BST (UK time): From the TeX Hour

[Zdenek Wagner]

út 27. 9. 2022 v 13:04 odesílatel Christopher Dimech <dimech at gmx.com> napsal:
>
>
> > Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 10:29 PM
> > From: "Ulrike Fischer" <news3 at nililand.de>
> > To: tex-live at tug.org
> > Cc: texhax at tug.org
> > Subject: Re: Rethinking TeX in STEM: Online Thu 29 Sep: 6.30pm BST (UK time): From the TeX Hour
> >
> > Am Tue, 27 Sep 2022 12:05:49 +0200 schrieb Christopher Dimech:
> >
> > > Would you have required reference from authority source to the Jews you
> > > found as you entered the extermination camps in German-occupied Europe.
> > > Or reference from the people who sufferred frem the Soviet Gulag System.
> >
> > Misusing the horror of the extermination camps to make a petty
> > argument against a software is inacceptable and disrespectful to the
> > victims of these camps.
>
> This is where me disagree.  It is a valid contrarian view for the absolute requirement
> of documented proof by what some decide to call authority.  Naturally, I am not here
> to dictate how people run the event.  For one thing, this shows how computer science and
> computer engineering departments today are not providing much innovation to their
> community.  What people can do is to encourage their computer science and computer
> engineering departments about the value of working on honest development of technology
> that serves the best interests of those who use the software rather than some other entity.
>
> I provided an explanation on valid reasons to thumb down the use of Zoom.  But some got really
> offended.  I am used to the approach of individuals whose modus-operandi involve insults,
> shame, guilt and the need to be right.  People whose education has educated them out of it.
>
> I did not have more to say than the initial comments.  Yet I see quite a few starting freaking
> out about it.  It is the latter part that has been unnecessary.  Who have I disrespected exactly.
> The mathematical community has a reputation in the world that it can take criticism.  But perhaps
> Grigori Perelman was right to reject the community's accolades.  So I shall continue to be his
> friend and agree with him.
>
>
>
I am sorry being off topic but I do not understand it well. The zoom
server which hosts my meetings is physically located in the Czech
Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic, and is operated by the
best experts at network security. Can you explain me how exactly the
server is censored from China and how the personal data are leaked? I
will then forward it to the experts and they will certainly find a
solution and make it available to other hosts. Anyway, in both the
open source and closed source SW it is normal that people do not just
speak about vulnerabilities but they either fix them and publish the
patches or report them immediately to expert. Why you have not done
that? These vulnerabilities could have been fixed a long time ago if
you acted as you should.

In the open source world meritocracy is applied. Those who contribute
most have higher right to decide. Those who do not contribute can file
a feature request but they have no right to decide. I have good
experience with zoom, terrible experience with MS Teams and Jitsi is
difficult, it happened several times that other users were not able to
connect.

Anyway, if you develop an alternative to zoom which will be equally
stable and available at reasonable price, I will probably switch to
it.

Zdeněk Wagner
http://ttsm.icpf.cas.cz/team/wagner.shtml