Alexandro Colorado <jza@openoffice.org> writes:
I found most of this reasons useless.
… But not invalid?
Forums is a well stablish technology as well as proven. Sites like sourceforge use forums as well as many million of users are used to it. Big projects like Audacity, OpenOffice.org and others use forums intensively.
However, during my participation (however short) in several free software development projects, I've never had to use a Web forum to communicate to the other developers. The development of such a major free software components as, e. g., Ext4, GRASS GIS, SQLite, and the Linux kernel, is centered around the respective mailing lists, not to mention the Debian project, which uses them quite extensively.
Althought I have to agree that it pulverize the communication, many users preffer forums specially for that reason.
I wonder, what's the reason?
Forums are also easier to browse
How is it so?
and dont force the users to read every single message.
Neither mailing lists do. And, of course, it doesn't apply to newsgroups, either. Over the last five years, my Google Mail's INBOX has accumulated, I guess, a few thousands of conversations that I've not only not participated in, but not even read a sufficient fraction of the messages therein.
Forums are specially important because they provide a better presence on valuable posts. having them move up by popularity or sticky notes.
Indeed, it's a valid point. Not that it's impossible to solve this problem for mailing lists or newsgroups, but I know of no well-established solution. (Although I have some ideas on the issue, but won't probably be able to get to working on them anytime soon.)
Centralization of information is also imposible,
Neither it's necessary. And the Internet news technology offers probably the best currently available solution to decentralization.
imagine saying to the users, don't blog anymore because it generates conversations under your post which are unreachable from my mailing list and duplicate the communication channels.... I doubt you will get much uptake. Now multiply this on other channels, like youtube, twitter/identica and any other publishing environments.
Honestly, I don't understand the very purpose of blogging. Moreover, having no easy way to archive the texts I've written on my own media simply makes me nervous.
I am sure there are valuable comments on the SFD wall in facebook that this list will never see. That doesnt male the facebook presence a bad thing. The advantages of familiarity well outscore the annoyances.
Perhaps. -- FSF associate member #7257 Coming soon: Software Freedom Day http://mail.sf-day.org/lists/listinfo/ planning-ru (ru), sfd-discuss (en)