Oh goody! <2hawks likes a good argument! ;^P>
Thank you for your responses and insights pogenwurst. I think you make some very solid, good, and quite compelling, points. I still would consider that "thinking differently" is acceptable and may be better, rather than actually creating problems or false impressions, etc. Of course, it seems readily apparent that it really is a matter of opinion, so considering your (friendly) retort I would certainly not presume to 'argue' an absolute right vs. wrong... just possibilities...
Generally speaking I feel that showing people the possibilities, albeit in some otherwise creative fashion, while accommodating their 'natural' needs, can be quite effective, and is not creating false impressions if proper attention is given to responsible presentation of the barebones core (and people aren't later being hit with a hidden cost for the "extra stuff", of course)...
Point by point...
1) I do (and did) understand it was only your own personal opinion, but it seemed it might be fairly accurately representing the heart of the developers' concerns and the centerpiece of the problem... and so I figured it was safe to take that up directly - seems a/the strong issue, this one of 'what is proper representation".
In fact, I think the concern over presenting falsity or insufficiency in the product is probably more born of pier pressure (what other limited thinkers [long-standing piers in the business] consider "proper representation should be" for this kind of thing) rather than honest and practical (fresh) consideration for what is natural and best for everyone.
My opinion is "I don't care what the other car manufacturer thinks is best or right marketing for cars, I want to think about the people I am selling to, and help them holistically understand the benefits in the best way possible."
So okay, I got your "basic Honda" here, that can do x,y, and z, but I want to show you what its like when I include the radio, heater, air-conditioning and cushy seats. Is that cool, or what?! Do those come stock? - Well no, they aren't needed, but you can have those and many more choices ...and at no additional cost and with no modifications to the core of the vehicle! (i.e: the place for all that stuff is already built in - you simply build it up to suit your own needs)... Yeah, its built to take on all that and more... pretty cool, huh?
More than sufficient, very powerful, and fun to boot!
And no lies.
2)
pogenwurst wrote:Why not? Because it gives new users a false impression of what PunBB is, and how it works. What is seen on these forums should be what one sees when he or she downloads and installs PunBB. Otherwise, there is great potential for confusion and frustration.
Well, yes and no. I think this is arguable. I think 'false impression' is a bit harsh, if not even inaccurate. As an unwitting investigator coming here I would not personally feel that way, especially given that a demo of the barebones setup is right there.
On the one hand folks prone to installing something like a Bulletin Board are largely (admittedly not all) into some tech, meaning someone like myself may not only have some capacity to understand, but also to appreciate, that the developers tweaked their own "barebones" project with "readily available plugins" to suit the practicality for this place, ...and that demonstrates what this project can and does support... So That to me 'is' what it is and is also how it works.
That's all good, as well as true and honest, stuff in my book. I am some dude looking for a BBSto build and this has got me excited - I am not getting the "false" light here.
On the other hand, if I have a preconceived notion that the base forum ought to be only the barebones, then, indeed, I will be challenged in my thinking when I come to this place. But that doesn't mean I am being presented false impressions. If it pisses me off I might leave. If it catches my attention, I might choose to stay a bit and check it out anyway. I might even learn something. Well I came here to investigate and learn, so there shouldn't be a problem anyway.
Seems to me the only real question there is how many inquirers do I expect I might lose compared to those that might stay and check it out and get excited? Are the ones who might check out ones I really care all that much about anyway? (Let 'em go back to phpbb [or whatever] for all I care... if that's what they want, prefab stuff is out there for them! And this is here for us 'other people', and this is how we are approaching it - in a way different than "the other guys".)
pogenwurst wrote:...gives the impression that PunBB - or any other lightweight forum package - is insufficient...
I have read this in these forums before and I totally disagree with this. Again, a la what I stated above, given a demo of the barebones, and then seeing what the pro's are doing with it 'at home', only tells me there's that much more possible with this package - thus it is not only sufficient, it is way more than simply sufficient... it is also powerful because it can do the core thing on its own AND you can build on that... I mean, you do not have to buy something else to 'make it so', you only need to investigate and create, or utilize what has been created for it. I just find the 'falseness' attitude unnecessarily conservative and, well, limiting and untrue.
....I mean, conservatively I see your position as mostly 'logically correct'... but I don't see how that kind of thinking (probably 'status quo') really takes into consideration the understandable needs of the people who will be coming here and investigating this. I do not see an argument in conservative logic that necessarily invalidates utilizing a creative approach. If someone sees something false in this, then they simply aren't bothering enough to really check it out - then its probably not for them anyway.
I mean who cares about the way the 'other guys" are doing it?... Who made them the 'gods' of 'the right and true way"... obviously nobody did because people are coming to Rickard?s house now to check out the party happening over here, and these Honda's are freaking cool, man. I'm gonna get one and play with it!
3)
pogenwurst wrote:An official forum and a separate vanilla installation are counterintuitive to some, including myself. I suppose I may be wrong, but it seems to me that many will go straight to the official forums, quite logically assuming them to exist in stock form
Again, you make a 'conservatively' logical point, but I don't think it is necessary or required to support peoples expectations with only straight conservative logic. A creative approach could be quite insightful and compelling if handled well, and could open people up to alternative thinking/logic that is equally valid (maybe even healthy)... which I see as in keeping with the spirit of the project.
I do not think it would be harmful if you arrived at the forum with some preconceived expectation, only to have your assumptions challenged... in fact, isn't that part of the idea? As long as I am not lying to you and I am leading you in a manner where you can readily and easily gather all the pertinent info and make an informed choice, it doesn't matter whatever your preconceived notions were. No harm, no foul.
4)
I have done a lot of collaborating, with all kinds of support resources, including email, so yes, I know about it. If you have ever collaborated over the phone you know its way more immediately productive than relying on (and waiting on) email. IRC is a close second, maybe the closest, so I find it worthy of mention for this type of "co-productive" environment. You can get a lot more done with less waiting - and I bet if you asked anyone who has used irc for collaborating they would agree with that statement. Anyway, I think its very close to necessary in such an actively productive environment where phones aren't happening, so it should be mentioned... just my humble opinion.
5)
pogenwurst wrote:Why keep supporting 1.2.x?
Because of the pre-existing install base that will not immediately migrate to the new environment. Just because one comes out with a new version doesn't justify yanking support for the old and existing install base. Who's going to invest their energy in the new thing if they were slighted with the current investment? Their going to think, well I'm not doing that again, I cannot trust the developer to support me, and go somewhere else.
You can soundly bet that many people with complex installs will not migrate right away and that Rickard will keep 1.x.x info and support forum running for the people until such time as that has practically expired.
6)
pogenwurst wrote:Finally, one fundamental problem with this concept of a solitary forum is this -
I am sorry, I did not understand your last point, would you please clarify?
Please don't read any disrespect into any of my remarks, pogenwurst. . I do have an opinion about the angle of what you present, and I disagree with it, and my opinions may even have some of my ego behind them in some areas; however, let me be clear, I really do appreciate what you (and us all) bring to these forums, and the opportunity afforded to express these ideas together.
I wonder if Rickard is piqued by any of this?
Sincerely,
TwoHawks
TwoHawks
Love is the Function
No Form is the Tool