Re: [chat] Just wondering

[Matthew Palmer <mpalmer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, Jul 11, 2004 at 03:22:23PM +1000, Greg wrote:
> I have time, so feel free to explain why exactly web forums suck more
> than mailing list...and yes, I run in threaded mode. I've yet to hear
> anything other then "Web forums suck, email list don't". Is it because
> you're set in your ways and prefer emails? That could be the only
> explanation I can think of, as to why you'd say it's 'ten times better
> than a web forum'. 

OK, here's a few:

* All of the mailing lists I follow are presented to me with my preferred
UI, not whatever random piece of shit the forum author thought was good.

* New messages are delivered to me, to read at my convenience.  I don't have
to perform a series of different actions to read each forum separately.

* Forum postings are messages.  It seems reasonable to use a messaging
system to read them.  The web is not designed as a messaging system.

* A forum will almost certainly take several times the bandwidth to view
messages than the same messages on a mailing list, so people on dialup get
screwed.

* Further to the above point, messages on a mailing list can trickle in, so
a person on a bandwidth constrained link can get quick access to all of the
messages via their LAN, after having had the messages slowly retrieved when
they're not watching.

* Forums are almost impossible to use when you aren't connected to the 'net,
while mailing lists can be easily handled whilst disconnected (local IMAP
and MTA, messages get sent/received when you're online).

Six reasons.  The only reason you've come up with for why forums are better
is because you like the threading interface.  I recommend a MUA with
threading that marks old messages as deleted rather than expunging them on
deletion.  If you love web interfaces so dearly, I'm quite sure you could
get a web-based e-mail client that would do it for you.

- Matt

-- 
"When you have a Leatherman, everything looks Leathermanipulable."
	-- Nathan McCoy, in the Monastery