[GNUz] Re: New forum

[Matt Oquist]

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This is a reply to an email from Rik Tindall, who is one of three
volunteers who has recently been involved in dealing with the SPAM in
our forums by installing fresh forums and starting over (maybe not the
ideal solution, but definitely the most effective). I originally wrote
this just to Rik, Russell, and Robert, but I've realized that this may
be beneficial for everyone.

-------------------------

> We have lost SFD's greatest asset, I reckon - its forum history - every=
=20
> year so far. Is this because we keep re-skinning phpbb? What better=20
> software/options can people please suggest?

Same reason(s) we re-do www.sfd every year. It's only done in people's
volunteer time, so instead of very careful migration we just throw
together a new site and charge full-steam ahead. This is usually
correlated with an improvement in the hosting that is available to us,
so a new server is usually involved as well.  Also, nobody (i.e.,
Henrik, Phil, or myself) has really bought into a particular tool for
more than a year. :)

2004: Geeklog
2005: Mambo
2006: Moin

At least the names keep getting shorter.

> Same for www.sfd - it changes radically every year to what purpose? Can=
=20
> we get a default framework together so that just a few jpegs with=20
> logo-dates are all that needs updating each new year? A picture of=20
> stability, continuity, and all-year service is supremely important to=20
> the saleability of FOSS.

Sounds great. Let's stick with Moin, then. :)

But seriously, I don't think that the website changes are *that* big
a deal, because SFD is still such a once-a-year thing that most people
aren't going to remember last year's site, anyway.

The loss of the forums is more important; hopefully the new forums,
with more SPAM-prevention measures in place and more attentive
moderation, will be around for years to come.

I see the SFD community as our biggest asset; the list of team leaders
=66rom the previous year is an extremely valuable collection of contact
info for people who care; they are people who might recruit other team
leaders even if they don't have the time to lead their own team this
year.

SFD would really be nothing at all without the worldwide community of
team leaders.

So in conclusion, cheers, and I'll see you in the spiffy new forums.
:)

--matt

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