Fate of the list

[Chris Davis]

I think to dismiss the design of websites as "pretty" is not fair.  More
over it is a disservice to graphic design in general.  Beneath the
attractive exterior is a framework that helps you direct your attention
quickly and efficiently to places that interest you without excessive
searching.  It is far more intuitive and consistent than this list has been.

It is true, progress has left this list behind in many ways.  The content is
probably the best we have to choose from (for now) but it is truly a text
field of miscellaneous information thrown together in a 10-point font with
serifs.  Perhaps if the strings could be kept together in digests somehow
rather than posted in chronological order.  Or maybe there could be columns
that organize the fields as far as sender info, subject matter, time and
date it would be more efficient to scan.  Perhaps other thoughtful touches
like different fonts or text sizes for subject fields and that kind of
thing.

As information is thrown at us at ever increasing speeds and quantities,
organization and filters become ever more important.  The list hasn't kept
up in those regards.  It has never promised to and for many that is okay.
Obviously I still read it myself or I would be writing here right now.  With
some structure the list can keep going but without it, I will continue my
personal decline in attention to it.

I hope this is taken as the constructive criticism for which it is intended.
And one last thing; senior members need newbies as much as newbies need the
seniors.  Making it easy for newbies to discern the important rules of
conduct is not as easy as calling them lazy, but much more productive.

Chris Davis