Re: Debian is testing Discourse

[Sven Hartge <sven@svenhartge.de>]

Nate Bargmann <n0nb@n0nb.us> wrote:

> If the project wants to implement Discourse as an adjunct to existing
> communications channels, fine, I've no problem with that.  If,
> however, the goal is arbitrary and wholesale replacement of all lists
> with the jumbled mess that is my experience of Discourse, then I
> object.

I see a problem with "another communication" channel here, creating a
rift between the two user bases.

As Russ noted in
https://lists.debian.org/debian-project/2020/04/msg00103.html in 3)
"There is some age correlation with the type of communication mechanism
one is comfortable with, and reason to believe that younger people
skew towards being more comfortable with forums than with email. [...]"
I fear what will happen is that the younger and possibly more
inexperienced crowd will aggregate in the web-based media, while the
more-knowledgable "grey beards" will stay in their mailling lists.

We already have this with http://forums.debian.net/ and in part
https://reddit.com/r/debian where there sometimes exist a "the helpless being
led by the clueless" situation.

And I've also witnissed this in other contexts, be it in an Enterprise
setup (where one group flocks to Confluence and the other stay in the
mailinglist) or a MMO guild, where one group prefers to converse in
Teamspeak and the other uses the forum.

In all cases it lead to rifts and problems down the line.

As hard as it is, one should commit to *one* communications channel and
only one, as to not create parallel "societies".

Grüße,
Sven.

-- 
Sigmentation fault. Core dumped.