Re: [ANNOUNCE] USENET vs Mailing Lists Poll ...

On 11/30/2004 5:27 PM, Mike Cox wrote:

> Ultimately, the RFD is about providing a place for _Usenet_ PostgreSQL users
> who have been neglected for quite some time. With the ease of posting to
> the big 8 group, and the very large propegation, I can see why the
> comp.databases.postgresql group will be very popular. I originally tried
> to include the developers so they could follow the comp PostgreSQL group
> through their mailing list, but that proved too technically difficult.
>
> If they want to follow what will be a huge PostgreSQL usenet community in
> the big 8, they will have to subscribe to comp.databases.postgresql. :-)

Mike,

I do recognize your honesty and good intentions. You originally tried to
scratch an itch of many people. That is, that the PostgreSQL newsgroups
were not carried by their NSP.

In doing so, you have opened a can of worms (happens). As usual, a once
opened can of worms can only be re-canned by using a bigger can. If you
think that telling 99% of the "knowledge" on these mailing lists that
they are only 1% of the users and that a huge PostgreSQL usenet
community will discuss a lot of interesting stuff aside of them will
change much, you're wrong ;-)

I have been contributing to things via USENET and whatnot for over 15
years and all I know is that people either make the mistake to abandon a
good open source product (and pay bucks to some greedy company instead)
or they find the way to the forum, where the real "knowledge" is
answering, and stop reading the unproductive mailing lists or newsgroups
at all. Many of the PostgreSQL contributors are like me - long standing
open source developers, contributors, people who left USENET behind
years ago and who know that for "them" nothing will change as long as
they don't unsubscribe from the mailing lists, no matter what happens on
a newsgroup. The committed users will follow where we go and the
professional users are there already, waiting for us.

Jan

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