Re: [seul-edu] Mail list versus UUNET newgroup

[Matt Jezorek <matt@bluelinux.org>]

Look into jive

jivesoftware.com

On Sat, 18 May 2002, Douglas Loss wrote:

> G wrote:
> 
> > 
> > It occurs to me however, that moving to forum software might be
> > a much better direction to go. 
> > 
> > Doug (Doug Loss), I know you frequent varlinux.org as you submit
> > all of the suel-edu 'Linux in Education reports' there all the
> > time. Have you perused Nick's forums section? 
> > 
> 
> 
> Yup, I've read and posted to Nick's forums.  I'll give my thoughts 
> about such software and how it might relate to SEUL/edu at the bottom 
> of this response.
> 
> > 
> 
> > Not only do I think it would be good for suel-edu, it would
> > probably be good for schools as well as an internal bulliten
> > board / chat area. With it's rather flexible security
> > provisions, you could set up forums for students, parents,
> > teachers or any combination.
> > 
> [snip]
> > 
> > I realize there is special purpose software available to perform
> > some if not all of these functions (based on my readings) but
> > I've been impressed with the FUDforum software as a mature and
> > well supported application that should be pretty easy to set up.
> > (yes, I know - a run on sentence.)
> > 
> 
> If you look in the "Intranet" section of our Application Index you'll 
> find a number of systems that do just that.  They're designed for 
> school use and work very nicely.  Since SEUL/edu isn't a school and 
> isn't attached to any specific project, I've been loathe to use any of 
> these apps over another out of concern for alienating proponents of 
> whichever ones didn't get chosen.
> 
> I have nothing against web forum software myself, although I prefer 
> email mailing lists.  But Jan Wilson's concern is a very real and 
> important one.  That having been said, if there's web forum software 
> that will allow full cross-posting between the web forum and the 
> mailing list I'll be happy to look into implementing it.  An absolute 
> requirement for that to happen is that both the web forum and the 
> mailing list be "front ends" to the same discussions rather than two 
> separate discussions.  I don't know if FUDforum allows this, but I'm 
> pretty sure Phorum does.  Harish Pillay from the Singapore LUG is 
> planning to install Phorum for Schoolforge to fill this exact role (I 
> have to get back to him, as he was away on military duty and I haven't 
> heard from him since).  If that works out it will be very easy to use 
> Phorum for the seul-edu mailing list too, as both groups are housed on 
> the same physical servers.
> 
> Here's another concern I have.  The seul-edu and the various 
> Schoolforge mailing lists are private lists, where posts are only 
> accepted from list subscribers.  Any posts from non-subscribers are 
> bounced to the list owner first, who can approve or discard them. 
> This is why you don't see any spam on this mailing list (I see it all 
> and dump it).  If we set up a web forum that can cross-post to the 
> mailing list, it will be important that posts to the forum be "vetted" 
> in some way, either through forum posting only being allowed to 
> logged-in members (I know FUDforum does this) or through posts having 
> to be approved by some moderator before being posted.
> 
> The first concern here is a show-stopper--if it can't be done we won't 
> put up the web forum.  The second is a very nice to have, but if it 
> can't be done we can still proceed.
> 
> 

-- 
Matt Jezorek
Executive Director / Founder
Linux for Education
Blue Linux
http://www.linuxforeducation.com/
http://www.bluelinux.org
matt@bluelinux.org