[fpc-other] Last message about changes (guaranteed!)

[Graeme Geldenhuys]

On 2012-09-29 13:36, Cephas Atheos wrote:
> How many of you reading this message could, say, at 6:30 tonight, fix a
> configuration problem on the mailing list server, if whoever usually looks
> after it got called away and was uncontactable? From where you sit right
> now? What about if a hacker logs in to the list and starts spamming the

Ah yes, another benefit of NNTP. No spamming of every inbox out there.
Remember, NNTP is a pull service. Any admin can delete the spam message
before it ever reaches everybody's nntp client (like the case with
mailing lists).

> list? How long would it take to shut them down?

Speaking as a person has already been moderated, and that constantly get
harassed by mailing list admins because my tone is a bit offensive to
their ears...... They seem to act quickly.

Personally I think the mailing list is not the worse part of the Free
Pascal Project. If I was you, I would rather concentrate on the website
design, and improving how easily one can get to information one seeks.



> Every new user would know instantly how to log in, how to search, and how to
> ask questions and how to find answers, with no change that anyone has to

Ah yes, another big annoyance of web forums. You have to log in first
before you can post. Newsgroups that require authentication (like
Embarcadero's), my NNTP client does the authentication for me automatically.

As for your usability statement. Posting a newsgroup message is exactly
like posting an email. Click "new message", type, click "send". I think
my 4 year old can do that already.


> Hey, if you like pain, go for it! But please don't expect new users to want
> to go through the same arcane process. Because I can tell you, right now,
> that they don't. And they aren't going to in the future, either.

I appreciate what you are trying to do - making it easier for new users
to the Free Pascal project. But lets also not belittle the intelligence
of a programmer. I think it is safe to assume programmers have a little
bit of intelligence - after all, programming requires reasoning and
problem solving skills.

So dumbing down everything to a level that actually insults
programmers-by-trade is also a bit ridiculous. For example.. you
mentioned earlier about the "oh so scary subversion, we should hide that
from newbies". Well, what damn programmer - in this day and age -
doesn't use version control. Everybody should be using it, it should be
a standard tool in there programming toolbox. If they have never heard
of it before, they should maybe think of moving into a different field
of work.

Disclaimer:
Yes, this is my personal opinion, not the opinion of the Free Pascal
project. I admit, I have zero patiences, and I hate people that think
they must be spoon fed everything. Programmers should be able to think,
problem solve and do research (reading documentation).


Graeme.