[Tinymux] RE: This code should be working

[Stephen Dennis]

The scope of the list includes softcode questions and hardcode
questions. I was cautioning against using it as a 'personal softcode
blog'. A hypothetical example of the latter would be:

"This morning I put on my new lucky blue cap and wrote:

    $hello:@pemit %#=Hello, World.

It worked. Go me."

Now, this is all hypothetical -- an example on the edge of a dimension
that I felt we were pushing. On the other hand, my reading of things
is less than perfect and you'll notice that some people responded to
posts that from my reading did not contain anything to respond to.

In the above hypothetical post:

  - Is there a question? No.
  - Is there a problem that you need help with? No.
  - What should a reader do when reading this? Don't know. Perhaps just watch.

Another dimension to consider is the timeliness of the post. On a
channel, it is certainly appropriate to pose the following:

    [Code] New Coder says, "Changed the semicolon to a colon. It still
doesn't work."

The channel is a more conversational forum. People who join the
channel expect it to behave this way.

But, the above is less appropriate for a list. Lists are less
conversational. Some people receive a digest of the posts at the end
of the day and are less able to participate in a quick-paced
conversation. The posts to the list are automatically archived and
available on http://www.tinymux.org/pipermail/tinymux/ essentially
forever. Once the conversation becomes single sentences, it makes more
sense to take the conversation to private E-mail or to a private
conversation on a game. Once the issue is settle, it is appropriate to
post a summary the list for closure.

Another dimension to consider is whether your post is aimed at 200
people or at a single person. Once the conversation becomes between
two people, it probably makes sense to take it to private E-mail or to
a private conversation on a game.

So, I've touched on three dimensions of appropriateness for a post.
These are guidelines. The list has broken them in the past. I've
broken them. We'll bend and break them in the future.


Brazil