[Mageia-discuss] Mailing List to Web Forum Bidirectional Gateway

[Tux99]

On Sun, 3 Oct 2010, Olivier [utf-8] Méjean wrote:

> Just look at rules on the ML here, no html, no top 
> posting, just quote well are things that needs to use mail correctly. And just 
> use mail correctly is sometimes hard for just users. I do not work in 
> computing and i just see how computers are seen, how they are used and how 
> theses 3 rules would be hard to use. No HTML ? well i guess few users (outside 
> those working in computing) knows how to do it, no top posting ... ouch quite 
> impossible, quote well ... hum what do you calll quoting ?

In fact like wobo already said this is the strong point of the forum ML 
gateway, it ENFORCES bottom posting (by putting the cursor by default 
under the quoted text in the reply edit window), html and BB code are 
disabled in the ML sub-forums and threading is kept automatically by the 
forum, so a newbie can make a lot less netiquette mistakes by using the 
forum ML gw, then by using gmail or any other mail program.

> Let's face it, ML is a tool for developers not a tool for users.

This is what former Mandriva devs are used to, as has always been 
customary in Mandriva, but it's by no means a general rule, there are 
devs on other projects that use forums instead.

But that's beside the point as a forum ML gw simply gives everyone a 
choice, no one is forced to use the forum gw, but also no one is forced
anymore to use the ML.

Unlike a company with employees (like Mandriva), a community project 
needs to be attractive for all kinds of devs, if you tell new devs that 
they have to do as you say, they will just leave.
Being flexible will attract more devs which surely is something a large 
project like Mageia wants. 

Personally even before internet I started on Fidonet forums in the 
early '90s, which is sort of comparable to mailing lists, then later 
Internet ML, usenet forums,etc.
Everyone of these technolgies has had it's boom period, for me MLs 
these days are an archaic unpractical tool of the pre-history of the 
internet.

But like I said, everyone has his/her preferences and that fine, since
with a forum ML gw we can still all collaborate and communicate each 
with out preferred method.

Keeping the community separated will not lead to a successfull 
community, separation and lack of communication (in both directions!) 
inevitably leads to frustrations, resentment and misunderstandings.