Re: We need a forum!

[Rob Kendrick <lua-l@...>]

On Fri, Jul 02, 2004 at 11:44:23PM -0500, Michael Cumming wrote:
> Well, we could debate the relative merits of one means of communicating versus another to no end.
> The fact is that mail lists are in decline and the reasons are obvious. 

Please give evidence of their decline, and outline the reasons that are
apparently obvious.  (As you were obviously joking or being sarcastic in
your last list of them, and nobody else has apparently sided with your
argument.)

>The replies are on the list are not sample of the real world as the list has pre-selected it self to those who are still willing to use this method to communicate.  As suggested, maybe some of the people here like that.  

One thing I never understood, was why do people *not* want to use just
one client and UI to access all their discussion forums?  (Which a
mailing list is one, of course.)  I can't think of something any less
nice than having to visit a different website for each of the dozens of
mailing lists or news groups I'm on.  That's just complete madness, when
you can have them in one central place.

If mailing lists are in "decline", which I see no evidence of, it's
almost certainly because of a wave of new users to the internet who
simply don't know how to use the *simple* functionality of their mail
client (like the "reply" button, which quite frankly is fundlemental.)
The way to fix this isn't to swap to a system that's less efficent, and
panders to people who don't know how to click a reply button unless it's
brightly coloured and flashing, but to educate them instead.

> The real test would come if the creators of Lua start a forum.  I would bet at the end of one year the Lua community would be larger, more active and very vibrant.  Maybe there would still a few people left on the mail list. Who knows?

As I requested in my previous mail, could you please actually list some
advantages a web-based forum has over a mailing list?  (Where a mailing
list can have a web-based front end if you wanted it, anyway.)

> My initial question was more wondering if there was a logistical reason for not having a forum and what those of us that use Lua can do to help.

I think the answer to that is quite obvious: The vast majority of people
here don't want one.  If there are people in the world who want to
discuss Lua, but for some as-yet undisclosed reason dislike mailing
lists, they can go and create their own web-based forum and advertise
it.

-- 
Rob Kendrick, Pepperfish Ltd.         +44 (0)845 226 4146  www.pepperfish.net
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