On Oct 9, 2011, at 12:37 PM, Ken Gunderson wrote: > On Sun, 2011-10-09 at 12:32 -0700, Gregory Youngblood wrote: >> On Oct 9, 2011, at 11:38 AM, Ken Gunderson wrote: >> >>> On Sun, 2011-10-09 at 02:51 -0400, Richard L. Hamilton wrote: >>>> On Oct 8, 2011, at 9:49 PM, Josef 'Jeff' Sipek wrote: >>>> >>>>> On Sat, Oct 08, 2011 at 06:35:57PM -0600, LinuxBSDos.com wrote: >>>>>>>> As Bernd Helber remarked, forums can play a significant role in Linux >>>>>>>> distributions, as they allow users to "have conversations". It would be >>>>>>>> great if an initiative to create one for OI could be started. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I agree that forums are more user-friendly when you're searching for >>>>>>> an answer that already exists. However, I find mailing lists easier to >>>>>>> interact with and reply to on a regular basis. I think the reason the >>>>>>> OpenSolaris forums worked so well is that each forum also had a >>>>>>> mailing list bridged with it, so you got the best of both worlds (easy >>>>>>> search and easy participation). My request would be the the mailing >>>>>>> lists not be dumped in favor of forums, but rather set up as another >>>>>>> way of participating with the forums. >>>>>> >>>>>> I didn't call for abandoning the mailing list, rather for setting up >>>>>> something that is more community-oriented. >>>>>> >>>>>> So, who's gonna make the decision? >>>>> >>>>> I think that having a bridge between the two would be great. Either way, >>>>> we >>>>> could set up some experimental thing and see if it works. >>>>> >>>>> Jeff. >>>> >>>> I must be old-fashioned, but I find an NNTP server easier than forums (and >>>> less junk accumulating on my mail server). Seamonkey has an adequate >>>> reader, although I prefer knews. Those have nice threading, killfiles, >>>> etc. And they're usually _much_ faster and less problems than a web forum. >>> >>> +1!!! >>> >>> Sad that newer generation seems to have missed this very useful protocol >>> - indeed, as some have argued, "the original groupware". >> >> Yes. as I said in a previous message, it seems the new generation of >> "internet" users are really "web" users. If it's not on the web it's doesn't >> really count. Sad. > > Yet I have NEVER gone to e.g. FreeBSD forums for an answer. Maybe they > got some good people there. I don't know. But I DO know that the lists > are where the true experts hang out. Now if all you need is someone to > point you to /etc or something.... ??? > > The point is that it depends a lot on the particular community. And it's > goals. OpenBSD, for example, has now desires for world domination and > could care less whether I eat their dog food or not.
I can't say that I've never gone to a forum for an answer. Sometimes Google takes me to forums when I'm looking up something. Other times it might be a mailing list archive. I think the question that needs to be asked is who and what kind of user OI wishes to target and/or attract. I believe that's at the foundation of everything, and should provide the basis for deciding the direction on whether to set up forums or not. Greg _______________________________________________ OpenIndiana-discuss mailing list OpenIndiana-discuss@openindiana.org http://openindiana.org/mailman/listinfo/openindiana-discuss