[syslinux] Mailing list policy question

[Geert Stappers]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

On Fri, Feb 25, 2005 at 11:09:01PM +1100, Rose, Daniel wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: syslinux-bounces at zytor.com on behalf of Josef Siemes
> > Sent: Fri 2/25/2005 8:05 PM
> > To: SYSLINUX at zytor.com
> > Subject: Re: [syslinux] Mailing list policy question
> >  
> > <previousSNIP>
| | | 
| | | I'm wondering what the people here -- especially the regulars -- think
| | | about this whole issue.  One option I'm considering is to make the
| | | "syslinux" mailing list a looser scope, and create a separate
| | | "syslinux-devel" mailing list for the hardcore development work.
| | | However, none of this is useful if there is no community to go with it;
| | | and experience has shown that newbies with questions will happily spam
| | | whatever lists they think will give them the answer they want, so having
| | | a users list would only be useful if there will still be people hanging
| | | around and helping the newbies out.
| | | 
| | |         -hpa
| | | 
> > </previousSNIP>
> > 
> > I think this should not be split up. The mailing list is still low-volume.
> > 
> > The problem is: Some issues are really development specific. Others are general use
> > of syslinux. Others deal somewhere between tftpd, pxelinux, rom code and kernel/initrd,
> > and it isn't even clear after the second look which of these parts fail. Others are really 
> > off-topic and deal about making an initrd, compiling a kernel etc.pp. 
> > 
> > So creating two lists would tend the newbies to post to *both* lists, since they
> > don't read the description anyways.  And for others it isn't even clear if this is a development
> > issue or a general issue about syslinux. Where would you put feature requests? The devel
> > list ? What if the feature request arises in the general list through a discussion? Things would
> > be crossposted to the devel list?
> > 
> > Regards,
> > 
> > Josef
> > <SNIP>
> > 
> Apologies for my dodgy OWA MUA which munges replies..
[1]
> I agree, the list shouldn't be split, it is a very low portion of my daily read,
> and I think it will cause hassles for people identifying where they should be posting.

Here another "don't split" request.

The only reason for a split are uneducated people ( or call them newbies[2] )
and there will always be a new generation. It is up to us to teach the next batch.
Eric Raymond's "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way"[3] is a great help. Not only
for the newbies but also for those who are training the aprentices.

In other words: If we don't educate the newbies, we will keep splitting.

> 
> Just my .02
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Daniel Rose

Cheers
Geert Stappers

[1] Your apologies are not accepted, but I indeed feel sorry for you.
    Whinning _here_ won't help. Get proper E-mail facility, especially
    because you known you are using a poor tools. Even better is to tell
    your employer that OWA is a slap in the face to contacts outside the
    company.
[2] we all where newbies once
[3] http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQFCH4YhOSINbgwa/7sRAsvlAJ0QEbp86bzty+yljXxZphGqBnyQogCgv04z
iRC4MgzQqIWD0vF72ejy7wM=
=d4JW
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----