Re-proposal: web forums

[Tom Spear (Dustin Booker, Dustin Navea)]

Molle Bestefich wrote:
> Scott Ritchie wrote:
>   
>> This makes perfect sense to me: I _hate_ mailing lists, especially the
>> kind that I have to subscribe to in order to post - it's far easier to
>> run a search on a web forum (rather than googling the list archives),
>>     
>
> Can you explain what's so different between Google and a forum search?
>
>   
>> and if my issue isn't resolved I can create an account and not have to
>> worry about receiving emails or unsubscribing.
>>     
>
> Agreed, the mailman subscribe function/pages are NOT nice.
>
> For a mailing list, the problem you describe could be solved by:
>  * changing the word "subscribe" to "register",
>  * turning off delivery of list emails per default,
>  * providing a web form for posting to the mailing list.
>
> That would make the mailing list act just like a forum in this respect.
>
>   
>> Integration with AppDB would be great, but it's hardly as essential as
>> getting a forum up in the first place.  Seriously, the worst thing that
>> can happen is it doesn't get used much...
>>     
>
> I disagree, I think the worst thing that can happen is that we get a
> forum up, and it's a half-ass solution because fx. communication between
> list members and forum members aren't happening, but it's not bad enough
> that anyone does anything about it.
>
> I'd like it if we could make a solution that didn't divide users between
> a mailing list and a forum.
>
> (Others might not see that as a problem.  Please do argument why!)

Has anyone even thought of the divide we already have between mailing 
lists?!  People post a question to wine-users and the devs who are 
subscribed there then forward it here if it can't be answered to anyone 
subscribed to wine-users.  And bugzilla!  I have to forward bugs here 
for this or that reason (usually because the developers who know x 
component don't subscribe to wine-bugs....)  If we do solution 3 that 
was mentioned before, we have the perfect balance between ml and forums, 
as long as everyone on both wine-devel and wine-users subscribes.  I say 
we scrap both wine-devel and wine-users, and make wine-forums, and have 
the forums post to there.  Then make categories in the forums for each 
of the current mailing lists, and let users subscribe to those 
categories if they prefer mailing lists.  Then we can make more 
categories, which can be subscribed to, for those same people that want 
to get this or that kind of email ("Q&A for the Non-Technical" category 
anyone?)  Its hard to explain but I have an idea how this would work and 
pretty much satisfy everyone that has a complaint about either side of 
the divide..

Tom