Re: A86: Suggestions for improving the mailing list

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Re: A86: Suggestions for improving the mailing list


I don't want to contribute anymore to this discussion, but I subscribed to
an asm list for 80x86 (pc) a while ago and it was always on track.  It was
moderated just like this one, except everyone knew who the moderator was.
I did not know Dan Eble moderated it until a few weeks ago when someone
said so.  Maybe I missed reading it when I signed up.  When something on
that list was off topic, the moderator (who contributed with asm discussion
much like Dan) posted messages like this:

---
[moderator hat on]

This message is off topic.  Do not post messages about game playing.
---

Perhaps we need something like this.  I think he also blocked all replies
to that post.  Then everyone knows it is not a request, but an order.

At 08:50 PM 6/22/98 -0400, you wrote:
>
>I recently got a loaner HP48G and joined comp.sys.hp48.  The HP48 is like 10
>years older than the TI-86 and this newsgroup is still completely on
track.  I'm
>not sure if that is because it is moderated more, but nearly everything about
>that calculator has been discovered long ago.  My point is, just because a
>calculator is a year old doesn't mean that a discussion group or mailing list
>about it can't have substance.  On that NG, they talk about programming
>techniques, post programs (for use in other programs, or whatever), and
lots of
>other stuff, but it all pertains to the HP48.
>
>Anyway, enough about that.  I, too, have lately been very discouraged
about this
>list.  Whereas I used to check it every day, lately, I have waited for it to
>build up and just ended up deleting much of it twice a week.
>
>Something that I think deserves a lot more discussion that it is getting
lately
>is the sqrt programs.  There is still a lot that we don't know about
these.  It
>would be nice if this could become (again) a good platform from which to
conduct
>"research" about the TI-86 ROM.  Let me remind you all that we know what,
maybe
>a quarter of the calls on page D?  And we know next to nothing about how the
>calculator works when an assembly program is not being executed.  I think
a goal
>for all of us should be to attempt to map out what the calculator does (even
>generally, because i know it is a LOT of individual commands) during normal
>operation.  This would greatly assist anyone trying to "hack" various
aspects of
>it.
>
>Hopefully, this new talk of fixing this list will suffice to improve it, but
>maybe we need to do more.  Possibilities could be making it into a
newsgroup, or
>adding better moderation?  I am not very knowledgable in the area of mailing
>lists, but there has got to be a better way than just having one person block
>out responses to certain posts.
>
>Finally, I just hope that it is not too late for the "TI-86 gurus" that we
all
>look up to to return to this list.
>
>Matt2000 wrote:
>
>> Ahh! We don't need this. I used to help contribute to these meaningless
>> threads until I realized how much time and space
>> I was wasting.. We dont need this! Many of the good programmers are no
>> longer on this mailing list... .maybe because there is just really no more
>> questions to be asked... and people just reply to meaningless stuff. I
mean,
>> XC1701 II. No one talks about the actual smooth scrolling of the game or
the
>> techniques used. No one cares. People care more about how many times to
>> press the ON key. It is pretty ridiculous. I also find myself wasting a lot
>> of time replying to this mailing list. I am thinking about signing off too,
>> and just having people E-mail me there suggestions for sections
>> (documenation/tutorials) that they wish me to add to my web site. In three
>> months, before the TI-89, my web site will be the largest TI asm site out
>> there.. no doubt about it. Many people ask questions for help on this list
>> but if there isnt a quick answer then no one replies. Maybe they dont have
>> the time.. I know I dont have the time to help people, because they post
100
>> line code with "What is wrong with this?". I guess some people are quick to
>> notice errors, but a little explanation would help. People are afraid to
>> take the time to write detailed messages.
>>
>> What we need is a stricter mailing list filter system. Unless an assembly
>> question or technique is discussed or used, then it should not be posted.
>> Once I made the mistake of posting something off comment and the thread got
>> unusually large, and I thought "What have I done?" No. It isnt right. And
>> then we have a spammer that takes up an additional ten messages for the
>> thread he caused.
>>
>> Mailing lists are great when a calculator first comes out. But once 90% of
>> the calc info has been discovered and well documented, I guess the mailing
>> list quality dies down. I dont want to make any accusations, but I guess
>> that over a 1/4 of the people on this list cant program asm or anything
>> above a "Hello World" program.. Eeek!! Oh well
>>
>> Later,
>>     Matt
>>
>> >I have been with this list for quite some time. It used to be a valuable
>> >source of information. When I got the hang of ASM for the 86, I thought
>> >I'd stay on the list to help the people who needed help. Recently,
>> >however, the list has been inundated with threads completely irrelevant
>> >to the TI-86. I find that the only thing I use the list for is posting
>> >programs, because of its convenience. Otherwise it just clogs my mailbox
>> >with a bunch of useless garbage. Therefore I am unsubscribing from the
>> >list. If you have a question that you want to ask me, e-mail me at the
>> >address below.
>
>
>
>--
>Stephen Hicks
>mailto:shicks@mindspring.com
>ICQ:5453914
>IRC/AIM:Kupopo
>Hopemage:http://www.mindspring.com/~shicks/
>
>
>


// David Phillips
// mailto:electrum@tfs.net
// ICQ: 13811951
// AIM: electrum32
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