[scribus] Using BBS instead

[Paul Tansom]

** Peter Nermander <peter at nermander.se> [2011-02-24 11:19]:
> > back a solution if I've found it elsewhere). What sticks in my mind is the fact
> > that some time later, I forget whether it was months or longer, I came across
> > my post when searching for something related, and there was a reply. Clearly a
> > decent forum would notify me of replies to my thread, which this one, for some
> > reason, did not.
> 
> The point is that a forum is not something you join for a one time
> question. Nor is a mailing list.
> 
> A forum, as well as a mailing list, is something you join to
> participate in discussions.

Whilst in theory that is true, in practise (certainly for me) it is not. A
forum is something I will use to ask a question if I can't find the information
somewhere else and there isn't the option to join a mailing list to ask.

> Say that you instead had asked that question on a mailing list. For
> how long would you have continued to receive mails from that list?

Likely months or even years. I can back that up by the fact that I have just
had a purge of mailing lists and removed some that where I no longer have an
interest in the software they support. A couple of these at least I have not
used for some years - although I have chipped in with a comment once or twice.

Basically, for my use, I can check a mailing list quickly and easily, and do so
several times a day when I check my standard mail (unless I'm in a particular
hurry). All my lists file into separate folders and I scan through subjects,
mark as read and file within a couple of minutes or so. I am currently on 44
discussion mailing lists, and there is no way I would visit 44 forums. Some,
admittedly, are extremely quite, whilst others are pretty active.

> And most forums DO have e-mail notifications. But I hate them, because
> if I you them I get like dozens of e-mail telling me there are new
> posts in the forum.

I tend to mark email notifications of forum posts to go back to when I get the
time, whereas if the full reply was in the email I would read it there and then
- and if it warranted a reply it would likely be done there and then too.

> For forums with very little activity I usually bookmark the "Search
> for new posts since my last visit"-link.

I have too many pages of interest bookmarked that need sorting. I will bookmark
an interesting page I've found when looking for something else. Often when it
becomes relevant I have forgotten I bookmarked it!

Perhaps if I used a GUI mail client I would feel differently about forums as I
find them much slower to use than my trust Mutt :)

** end quote [Peter Nermander]

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