Homebrew PCBs

On Thu, 08 Jun 2006 20:31:04 +0200, Steve <alienrelics@...> wrote:

>
> Sure, Yahoo is free. Hard to beat that ratio. ;')
> Heck, I don't even know how to have an upload area yet, or how to
> allow attachments.
> One of the big problems with a mailing list Yahoogroup like this one
> is that it becomes more and more difficult to find info as it ages.
> With categories, at least you are starting with a huge percentage of
> messages ruled out. The PIC list has some -very- strict rules on
> subject lines, as things are divided strictly by what it says in the
> subject line into categories. I think it sucks, as it is very
> difficult to search the archives.
> You can select "Watch this topic for replies", or check a box when
> posting to do the same. I am not seeing such a subscription button for
> a whole category or area. You would still have to go to the forum to
> reply.
> Have you looked at it yet? Give me some more feedback!
> Steve Greenfield

No i haven't looked it yet, those forums are more or less all the same  
anyway.

Quite frankly i do _not_ see this group as an archive of information. If i  
want written down archived information i go to google and can get many  
pages which are much more coherent by the way.
I see this group as a _discussion_ group, for members to talk with each  
other. New members will need information, but the archives of a discussion  
can not be the best source for that, ever. We may talk two weeks about  
some tiny little detail that is of no interest to a newcomer anyway. If  
you worry about that create a wiki, so there is an easy way for everyone  
to contribute and make somewhat of a starter's (maybe advanced) guide.

What i see this group as is a place where i can go if i have a silly idea  
and hear your opinions on it. It should be a place where someone new to  
the topic can go and ask specific questions, or get help when something  
doesn't work as per instructions.

So IMO the archives are really secondary, and the forum style would - for  
me - severely damage the main function of a discussion group.
I like that i get all posts as email, because i will look into many more  
posts than i would look into in a forum and learn new things. For example  
i would probably rarely look in categories that do not directly apply to  
what i do, but here i will still quite often learn new things. But the  
whole time it is still easy to skip all he topics i do not want to follow  
further.
The difference is between getting everything - and igonring the  
uninteresting bits, and getting noting, and actively searching out the  
interesting bits.

I've used web based forums on a regular basis before, and i still  
occassionally have to use one if it's like for something specific i need  
help with right now. But i'm not an active member of any web based forum  
any more, only yahoo mailing lists, because the web interface is simply so  
much unnecessary effort. I don't want to get "new reply" notifications and  
have to click on some link to see the thing after it finally loaded, and  
then reply via a web form i probably _hate_. I don't want to see stupid  
smiley pictures or formatting i don't like. I don't want to see posts  
inside windows with loads of plainly useless frames and borders and gaps  
and colors and spaces and tiny 8 point text and crap that can't be changed.

What i want is to get all the posts in my mail software, where it is  
displayed in a sensible manner with minimal fuss and overhead that i can  
choose and that stays that way, and a way to reply in that same software  
that is sufficiently convenient. When i also get local storage of past  
messages, easy off list direct mails, etc.. that's great.

Yahoo does this, _still does it_ despite all the changes and nonsense, and  
so far i haven't known anything else that does even come close in  
convienence and quality of service (yes it is crap, but it's still the  
best crap out there). When i look at my unread emails i have all the posts  
there already, waiting for me, and i don't need to do anything or go  
anywhere or load something. A web based interface isn't ever going to be  
nearly as convenient, and frankly those who prefer a web interface must  
simply have a crappy email software, i have no other way of understanding  
it.

Anyway, i hope i was quite clear on why i believe changing this isn't a  
good idea to even think about.


ST