Re: On improving mailing list [was: How to Boot Linux ISO Images Directly From Your Hard Drive Debian]
Hello,
On Mon, Aug 09, 2021 at 04:22:46PM -0700, Weaver wrote:
> On 10-08-2021 09:01, Andy Smith wrote:
> > On Mon, Aug 09, 2021 at 10:19:19PM +0000, Andy Smith wrote:
> >> I am asking the Debian Project to can this list in favour of an
> >> alternate solution or else to make it strictly for Debian-related
> >> posts only.
> >
> > I want to walk this one back a bit as there's no need to destroy the
> > community that exists here already by forcing it to move elsewhere.
>
> Oh, I don't think you'll achieve that.
Just wanted to clarify that it isn't something that I want to see
happen.
> > What I meant to say is that I think it'd be best if debian-user
> > continue to exist as it is while having its support element covered
> > by some other thing, and that be consistently documented throughout
> > Debian's documentation and websites wherever debian-user currently
> > is pointed to.
>
> By all means, if you see that as desirable, go ahead and initiate it.
> If things are a little quiet, you'll find us here.
I did mention that the Stack site idea, although it has been partially
tried out at least two times by various Debian Developers, had no
success and would not see success without a concerted effort by the
project to direct users there.
Clearly I'm not in a position to go editing Debian's web sites. I'm
guessing any such wiki edit would get reverted if it tried to
suggest something as being preferable to debian-user, so I'm not in
a position to do more than suggest.
I have tried to help out those last two times there was an Stack
site thing launched though, so if any DD does so again I will try
again with you.
> I'm sorry, but I find it extremely difficult to equate the term
> `community' with that of `rigid, militant conformity'.
If you take discussion lists like debian-devel or debian-project as
examples, these are places that have a much more rigid definition of
topic than debian-user, and yet are also community spaces.
Occasionally posters get very off-topic on debian-project for
example and are told, on-list, to restrict their posting to being
about the Debian project. No one seems to find this to be militant
conformity. The posters tend to obey.
I find debian-user to be quite rare amongst Debian spaces in the
lack of its topic focus. I know that it has always been like that, I
just don't think that works well for the support aspect.
Again going back to Ask Ubuntu — mainly because it's both a Stack
site and a Debian derivative so being a support venue answering
questions much like we do here on debian-user — you couldn't really
say it is an community in and of itself. I expect there are
forum-like sections of it for those so inclined but I've never
wanted to look into that. While it is a part of the Ubuntu community
and covered by the same code of conduct etc., community is not
really evident or emphasised there and I don't think that it needs
to be, for that narrow purpose.
I think I've made a mistake in not being clear that I would suggest
taking the support element out of debian-user and then apply the
rigid rules to wherever that went, leaving debian-user as it is.
Instead I've talked like debian-user should be shut down and
re-opened in a completely different manner. I can see how that could
ruffle feathers and it was unintentional.
> I should respectfully suggest that this list be employed after all
> of them have been exhausted for an answer. Post your question,
> after checking the archives, and follow only that thread in order
> to avoid all the other aspects you see as undesirable.
> In this way, I believe any injury to your sensibilities can be easily
> avoided.
Do you see this as advice that belongs on the Debian web site next
to any directions towards debian-user? Just so the users are clear
what sort of experience awaits them?
Cheers,
Andy
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