Hi James,

If you can't see the differences between a web-based forum (your suggested improvements notwithstanding), and an email list-serv, then I suggest that you need to go out and see how listserver systems work.

Sure, the improvements you're making will help, but it still doesn't come close to approximating a newsgroup or a email listserver based system.

a) I can quickly see how many new messages there are (since the folder list in my email client tells me). There's no reliable way you can do that using a web-based system.

b) I can post solutions much quicker from my mail client (It's harder to cut-n-paste answers between two programs, it's harder to find previous answers in the forum to link to, -and- you have the overflow limit configured too high. I'm sure the last one is easy to change though but it is frustrated to have to sit and wait to post an answer)

c) It is easy to scan all the threads and see if someone who I know has a good reputation has already answered the thread, in which case I won't look at it as a high priority

d) Using an email client is *much* faster than browsing a website

e) You can get decent *threading* via email, whereas here you see everyone's replies to different people lumped into a single page, which makes it difficult to see who is replying to what.

I could go on, but I won't. If you've used email based systems you'd understand what I'm talking about. If you haven't, then it'll all seem inconsequential to you.

It seems that you've decided, for the reasons you've given, that you're going to stick with the path you've choosen. Personally, I doubt you'll have the success with this system that P2P had with the old system, but I'm also hoping to be proven wrong.

Good luck with the endeavour.

Cheers
Ken

www.adOpenStatic.com