Re: [Gnewsense-dev] New Forum

[Brice Chaffin]

On Sun, 2010-02-28 at 12:38 +0200, Lars Noodén wrote:
> On Sun, Feb 28, 2010 at 5:18 AM, Brice Chaffin <address@hidden> wrote:
> > ... I'll use whatever works as long as it can meet with
> > everyone elses approval.
> 
> Again, there are the unanswered questions:
> 
> *  who is the forum for?
> *  what is the goal of the forum?
> *  what kind of activities or functions should it provide?
> *  how should those functions be provided?
> * who will make sure its _actually_ a useful resource,
>    which doesn't simply pump out advice on how to break peoples systems?
> * who will administer the forums?
> * who will maintain the software/server associated with the forum?
> * What is the security record for this software?
> 
> The last question is a very polite way of saying that there might be
> better options than phpBB,  Forums are high maintenance.
> 
> /Lars

My apologies Lars. I did respond to these questions,but it
unintentionally got sent back to only Karl. I didn't reanswer them yet
since I wanted to backtrack in the conversation and see if the majority
still felt this project was necessary. I know the idea has come and gone
in the past.

> Who is the forum for?

The community as a whole,both present and future. It's been pointed out
to me that some people in need of support will not use IRC or mailing
lists. Some users, present and future, may both want and expect a forum.

> What is the goal....

To serve the community,first and foremost.

> what kind of activities or functions should it provide?
> how should those functions be provided?

These questions can continue to be discussed as we evaluate the idea.
It depends on what we, as a whole, feel we should provide. How it's provided 
depends on the technology used.


> who will make sure its _actually_ a useful resource,
> which doesn't simply pump out advice on how to break peoples systems?

It's also been pointed out to me that a good forum would need moderators.
If experienced and knowledgable community members are willing to be moderators,
we should be able to avoid this problem.

> who will administer the forums?
>who will maintain the software/server associated with the forum?

I am willing to be involved in that.


> What is the security record for this software?
 
phpBB seems to have pretty ggod security, and is fairly easy to update
a running board. However, I know it may not be the best, but this is mostly due 
to integration issues.
I am looking at a similar forum package which does contain modules for mailing 
list integration,which I know is important
to most of you.

I hope this goes a little way toward addressing your concerns.

Brice