Re: Banned from the PowerBASIC forum

On Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:15:02 +0000, Frank Cox wrote:

> Join the club.  I got banned the other day for answering a question
> (challenge?) that Bob Zale asked me.

I have just now received an email message from "Sales 
<sales@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>", the first email I have received from PowerBASIC 
Inc since the one from Bob Zale saying "See what happens when you don't 
tell the truth."

Actually, the message arrived overnight while I was sleeping -- I just 
got up and checked my email.

Here it is, in its entirety:

QUOTE:
Mr. Cox,

I've been tasked with reviewing your record to consider whether your 
tem****ary suspension from the PowerBASIC Forums is still 
appropriate.  I've seen a number of very radical, public statements 
which disparage our company, our cor****ate officers, and our 
employees.  Specifically, the abusive names you used were highly 
inappropriate.  I also noticed that your alter-ego has been barred 
from Google-Groups for violations of the Google Terms of 
Service.  Both of these items do not bode well for my recommendations.

In my experience, people with that record of abusive behavior are 
very likely to offend again if given the op****tunity to do 
so.  Therefore, I must advise that  I have extended your suspension 
to allow you additional time to reconsider your stance.  I don't 
expect this will have any real effect on you since you have already 
announced your decision to abandon the use of PowerBASIC.  However, 
if you change your mind and decide you'd like to modify your 
attitude, please contact us.  We would much prefer a reasonable and 
amicable attitude from you.
	
PowerBASIC Sales
END OF QUOTE

On an initial reading, I note the following issues:

1.  "I've seen a number of very radical, public statements 
which disparage our company, our cor****ate officers, and our 
employees."

What "radical public statements" of that nature have I made?

2. "Specifically, the abusive names you used were highly 
inappropriate."

I don't think I have called anyone an abusive name, anywhere.

3. "I also noticed that your alter-ego has been barred 
from Google-Groups for violations of the Google Terms of 
Service."

I don't use and have never used Google Groups to do anything other than 
lookups, so I don't have an "alter-ego" there.  I don't see how I could 
be banned from something that I have never used.  I have never posted or 
attempted to post anything through Google Groups.  Ever.

I do have a gmail account.  That's the only thing that I have ever signed 
up for with Google.  And it's still working fine as far as I can see, 
nothing has significantly changed since the day I signed up for it.

4. "I don't expect this will have any real effect on you since you have 
already announced your decision to abandon the use of PowerBASIC."

I actually said I am re-considering my interest in PowerBASIC/Linux.  I 
didn't say anything about abandoning the use of PowerBASIC completely -- 
that would be difficult and rather silly since I have a number of 
projects that involve the use PowerBASIC/DOS and I have no intention of 
abandoning the use of a program that I have bought and paid for.

I am debating whether to reply to "Sales <sales@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>" via 
direct email to raise these points with them.  Since they are obviously 
reading this newsgroup (though they seem to have stopped publicly posting 
here all of a sudden) that might be redundant.