Re: A note on troll engagement

2017-11-27 Thread Walter Bright via Digitalmars-d

On 11/27/2017 11:57 AM, Jonathan M Davis wrote:

I don't use the web interface for the newsgroup, and I have no interest in
doing so. I use the mailing list. The same goes for many of the major
contributors. Others use the newsgroup directly. IMHO, being stuck with any
form of forum software would be worse than being able to use my e-mail
client like I do now. Sure, editing posts would occasionally be nice, but it
rarely matters much, and I've never seen the lack of formatting or syntax
highlighting as being much of a problem. Plain text generally works for the
sort of communication that we have here - certainly it's not enough of a
problem for me to want to deal with forum software instead of a proper
mailing list.


Another advantage to our method is the "database" is just a pile of text files. 
There is no need for any program to decode it other than "cat". Also, the text 
files can be processed for display in any number of ways, such as:


  http://forum.dlang.org/group/general

or even:

  http://www.digitalmars.com/d/archives/digitalmars/D/index.html


Re: A note on troll engagement

2017-11-27 Thread Jonathan M Davis via Digitalmars-d
On Monday, November 27, 2017 19:30:36 Mengu via Digitalmars-d wrote:
> On Monday, 27 November 2017 at 17:44:54 UTC, Andrei Alexandrescu
>
> wrote:
> > All: we have had an increase in troll posts lately. Please
> > avoid engaging them and resist the urge to correct assertions
> > no matter how wrong, indignating, etc. The best response to
> > troll posts is spending the time that would elsewhere go in
> > flamewars, on good work. Feel free to use your newsreader's
> > "killfile" feature to filter away posts from aliases you assess
> > have a net negative contribution to this forum.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Andrei
>
> we should switch to a forum software. enough is enough. we can't
> edit posts, we can't get rid of spammers and trolls. we don't
> have proper code formatting / syntax highlighting. what is
> holding you guys back?

I don't use the web interface for the newsgroup, and I have no interest in
doing so. I use the mailing list. The same goes for many of the major
contributors. Others use the newsgroup directly. IMHO, being stuck with any
form of forum software would be worse than being able to use my e-mail
client like I do now. Sure, editing posts would occasionally be nice, but it
rarely matters much, and I've never seen the lack of formatting or syntax
highlighting as being much of a problem. Plain text generally works for the
sort of communication that we have here - certainly it's not enough of a
problem for me to want to deal with forum software instead of a proper
mailing list.

Historically, spammers and trolls have only occasionally been a problem, and
outright spam does usually get removed from the newsgroup. We have
unfortunately had some major problems with a few recent threads where there
have been quite a few troll posts in them. So, it makes sense for Walter
and/or Andrei to speak up about it, but I expect that the problem will pass.
It always has before. If we follow Andrei's advice and do better at ignoring
the troll posts, it will blow over soon enough. And most of us don't really
want to have to have anyone around here spending their time moderating. We
spend too much of our time in useless chatter as it is instead of creating
or reviewing PRs.

- Jonathan M Davis



Re: A note on troll engagement

2017-11-27 Thread Steven Schveighoffer via Digitalmars-d

On 11/27/17 2:30 PM, Mengu wrote:

On Monday, 27 November 2017 at 17:44:54 UTC, Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
All: we have had an increase in troll posts lately. Please avoid 
engaging them and resist the urge to correct assertions no matter how 
wrong, indignating, etc. The best response to troll posts is spending 
the time that would elsewhere go in flamewars, on good work. Feel free 
to use your newsreader's "killfile" feature to filter away posts from 
aliases you assess have a net negative contribution to this forum.


Thanks,

Andrei


we should switch to a forum software. enough is enough. we can't edit 
posts, we can't get rid of spammers and trolls. we don't have proper 
code formatting / syntax highlighting. what is holding you guys back?


We can get rid of spammers and trolls. It just won't happen for those 
who use the mailing list or NNTP (though to a certain degree, NNTP can 
remove posts).


But editing posts doesn't work with NNTP. You could potentially "hold 
back" posts from going to NNTP for a probation period, for those cases 
where you accidentally hit send, or you immediately see a typo. But once 
it's on the NNTP server, it's set in stone. I kind of like it that way, 
anyway. No more revisionist history :)


Syntax highlighting can work just fine, it just will only be on the 
forum. I think Vladimir would be happy to entertain updates to the forum 
software:


https://github.com/CyberShadow/DFeed

-Steve


Re: A note on troll engagement

2017-11-27 Thread Mengu via Digitalmars-d
On Monday, 27 November 2017 at 17:44:54 UTC, Andrei Alexandrescu 
wrote:
All: we have had an increase in troll posts lately. Please 
avoid engaging them and resist the urge to correct assertions 
no matter how wrong, indignating, etc. The best response to 
troll posts is spending the time that would elsewhere go in 
flamewars, on good work. Feel free to use your newsreader's 
"killfile" feature to filter away posts from aliases you assess 
have a net negative contribution to this forum.


Thanks,

Andrei


we should switch to a forum software. enough is enough. we can't 
edit posts, we can't get rid of spammers and trolls. we don't 
have proper code formatting / syntax highlighting. what is 
holding you guys back?


Re: A note on troll engagement

2017-11-27 Thread Ali via Digitalmars-d
On Monday, 27 November 2017 at 17:44:54 UTC, Andrei Alexandrescu 
wrote:
All: we have had an increase in troll posts lately. Please 
avoid engaging them and resist the urge to correct assertions 
no matter how wrong, indignating, etc. The best response to 
troll posts is spending the time that would elsewhere go in 
flamewars, on good work. Feel free to use your newsreader's 
"killfile" feature to filter away posts from aliases you assess 
have a net negative contribution to this forum.


Thanks,

Andrei


Why doesnt D have two mailing lists, or two forums,
many FOSS projects, have one mailing list open for everyone, 
trolls and what-not


And another mailing list, that is read-only for everyone, and 
only the DLang contributors can post to it


Tcl is good example, in general I believe Tcl is one of better 
managed FOSS projects, their wiki, dev mailing list, TIP/DIP 
system is one of the best


A note on troll engagement

2017-11-27 Thread Andrei Alexandrescu via Digitalmars-d
All: we have had an increase in troll posts lately. Please avoid 
engaging them and resist the urge to correct assertions no matter how 
wrong, indignating, etc. The best response to troll posts is spending 
the time that would elsewhere go in flamewars, on good work. Feel free 
to use your newsreader's "killfile" feature to filter away posts from 
aliases you assess have a net negative contribution to this forum.


Thanks,

Andrei