lists vs forums ... response requested

[Alexander Holst]

> Message: 5
> From: Kai Staats <kstaats@terrasoftsolutions.com>
> Organization: Terra Soft Solutions, Inc.
> To: yellowdog-general@lists.terrasoftsolutions.com
> Subject: lists vs forums ... response requested
> Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2004 18:44:48 -0600
> Reply-To: yellowdog-general@lists.terrasoftsolutions.com
>
> Ok, we screwed up! :)

Not yet ;)

> The feedback we have gained this afternoon is pretty clear --keep the 
> mailing
> lists (or at least mailing list functionality). Ideally, we would like 
> to
> merge the two, with a list that posts to a web interface such as 
> PHP-BB, or a
> forum that maintains a mailing list.
>
> If you have an idea for how to combine these two (or examples of how 
> it has
> been done in the past), please email 
> lists-vs-forums@terrasoftsolutions.com

Unfortunately my knowledge does not come up with a solution for that, 
but I do have another reason to offer, as why to keep the ML:

I subscribed the digest form and archive it in Apple Mail [at the 
moment the Mail Client with the best search engine to my knowledge - no 
flames please]. This year has allready dropped 1121 digests into my 
archive - probably the best source of information I ever had!! Please 
don't take this feature away.

I usually just scan the digests quickly and only go deeper if some 
topics arise that are important for me. All I need to do is roughly 
remember either the time of the year it was posted or the subject / 
topic. I have always found the postings again. I don't even have to be 
online for that. It has been saving time *and* headaches for me. This 
archive is also accessable to my staff members. Whenever they have to 
come up with a solution my/our local digest archive is the first source 
of information to consult.

Another pro for the ML would be timezones. Being in Europe shifts our 
daily cycle some hours ahead of people in e.g. America, which means 
posting a question at the workday's end, usually yeilds responses in my 
mail box the next day in the morning - without the need to find my 
thread in the forum again, just to find out that maybe no one did 
answer. Very nice and helpfull ;)

My suggestion would be: in case an individual mailing of forum entries 
can not be achieved, at least try and get some digest form up and 
running - maybe a daily or 1/2 daily summery of forum entries.

> Don't worry, we'll do the right thing ... We appreciate the feedback 
> and
> support.

Other than that, all my cheers, regards and acknowledgement to you and 
your team!!!

YDL has been a great help here in our environment, as it has proven to 
be stable, well tested on most of the Apples [not only new ones also 
fallen ones become attractive again ;] and most of all, in most of the 
cases an easy install. I run our most needed services on YDL machines: 
DNS, AppleTalk-SeedRouting, FireWalling & DNAT for some security 
mechanisms, PrintSpooling, NTP and web, to name a few. We have managed 
to keep our lab clean and stable and were able to narrow down to two 
OSes on one architecture on our servers: OSX & YDL on Apples! That 
makes training of staff members a lot easier than different distros on 
different machines ontop of different platforms / architectures.

Best Regards,
Alex


Alexander Holst
Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences
<holst [at] fh-pforzheim [dot] de>
ph: +49 [0]7231 28-6837
fx: +49 [0]7231 28-6040