So this is how it ends...and perhaps another place to go!

[Lawrence Weeks]

Once upon a time (Fri Dec 13), jon dossey wrote:

> I think 99% of people's problems with a message forum is just
> the simple fact they don't wanna deal w/ something new. They're
> set in their ways. I don't mean to imply its a bad thing, just
> that change can be a good thing. I think we need to move forward
> technologically.

You might be surprised. I'm sure that one of the biggest things most
people who dislike forums dislike is the reversed roles. In a mailing
list, the information comes to you, automatically. You subscribe,
and voila, it appears, no more fuss. Set up a filter, and you're
done. New content causes a little flag to pop up, a bell to ding,
or in my case, my shell tells me when I press Enter. I use the
filtering and sorting method I like, I use the editor I like, I can
file my messages how I like.

With a forum, you have to go it. You have to go there, see if there
is anything new. You have to dig around usually. You have to use the
interface and methods somebody else decided are best. You have to be
using a freaking GUI. :-) The role is reversed from a mailing list. The
more you make a forum like a mailing list, as your ideas allude,
then the more it is a glorified mailing list minus the convenience
and flexibility, and less a forum with all the fluff. How about you
work on getting your forum text editor to use vi key bindings too.

Why bother. Each has its place. I go to like five web sites on a
regular basis (cnn, nando, bbcnews, news.com, slashdot), other than
when I'm searching with google or buying something at some store.
And I've been using the web since 1991. People like me simply will
never open a web browser and go to some URL for our interactive
discussion needs. Simply will never happen.

To each their own...

Larry
--
Lawrence Weeks      "Audaces fortuna juvat."      dev@anabasis.net