Dev Forum: Separate is better or worse?

Community
, ,
1

Over the past few weeks I’ve been using both, and doing secret little tests, things like posting a similar dev question on both forums and seeing what happens.

Most of the time it is answered on this one much much sooner, and it makes sense because there are many more accounts and eyes on this forum, being the first and main forum of our community (even many dev-minded members seem to only use this one).

The dev forum seems to be used mostly by members of MaidSafe (rfc etc), josuef for his Beaker updates, and other narrow scopes. Hard to get answers on things, whether in DM’s or threads, and I can’t really see a community fostering in that one (with no one answering), compared to the vibrant community right here.

So since the dev forum has existed for a while, I thought it was time for an openly discussed progress report on it :slight_smile: I just wanted to say that I think we should merge them back together, much like I have with my SAFE-FS forums, to much improvement. When we consolidate into one large forum, discussions can really start to happen, and the more eyes on a topic the better, in terms of getting productive conversations going.

And there are many great ways to merge them and make everyone happy! Make dev-related topics opt-in, so instead of having to check into a whole new website (barrier to conversation), people comfortable with programming topics can opt-in once and see these topcis along with their regular SAFE Network topics forever. All in one place. Sort of like what happens with “Off-topic,” how it doesn’t show on the front page, etc. Other options include being required to have a certain discourse trust level, or self-certify for a certain level of programming ability, or be approved by other dev members, to speak into the dev threads.

tl;dr I can post a dev question on this forum and get answers many times sooner than on the sparcely populated dev forum, so I am suggesting a merge.

6 Likes
2

And if everyone disagrees with my stance (often happens), then just prepare for my posting dev questions in this forum :smiling_imp: because I’ve found it to be much more fruitful

3 Likes
3

Its more a question of focus. (The audience)

This is the community forum - multi purpose

Dev forum is singular focused for the devs to discuss/nut-out issues around the code.

2 Likes
4

but from a practical standpoint, everyone has accounts here first and accounts there second. Everyone checks this forum first and that second, if at all. Speaking from personal experience and how I view others using it.

So I think the content there would get more productive attention even from the developers in our community, simply by having it here instead, like I’ve been doing already.

1 Like
5

Maybe a better analogy is needed.

Say you are doing work. You live in shared accommodation and everyone there is interested in the programs you are writing, and many different backgrounds. With your work you interact with one or two who live with you and 4 or 5 who live elsewhere. But all who live with you have an interest and opinions on the works you are doing.

Now if you wish to discuss the actual work, do you set up in the kitchen and have everyone talking, or do you go to your office space and do actual work, with interruptions from those who wish to discuss the technical aspects? And leave the general discussions in the kitchen?

1 Like
6

yeah that’s why I gave the ways that it could work. so it’s not just everyone spouting off anything freely in the kitchen

1 Like
7

You might be surprised at how just the little effort of joining a dev forum helps to keep the noise down. You have to put effort into being a part of the dev forum and after all there is here to ask the odd questions or two.

And this helps by allowing the devs more time to develop

1 Like
8

I think the two forums serve different needs and both work well. MaidSafe do respond more on the Dev forum, and that’s because they can - here it is more work (time) to identify what merits their attention and what doesn’t. For the most part the community can and should help each other, so posting questions here is completely fine, and then to take them there if they need a deeper understanding, or a more focused discussion, etc

So I think it is fine for you to use the forum which works for you Will, it doesn’t mean that they Dev forum doesn’t also have an important role - because they have different purposes.

Same goes for the chat.

I use all these channels at different times for different things.

Maybe we need an overview that helps guide people to the channel that suits their need?

2 Likes
9

OK well maybe get a list of all resources for starters? I know of:

Safe network forum
Safe dev forum
Slack? Still going? Active?
Discord channel. Still active?
Subreddit, very rarely active

That’s about all I know of.

10

The dev forum is necessary at this stage of development. It will certainly change with beta and even more so with launch. It’s crucial the team is focused on the many issues that come up hour by hour. The noise and distractions from noobs and fudsters will only serve to expand timelines.

If you have immediate needs to develop your products they should take a back seat. Especially with the core team being stretched and limited resources. Im not suggesting you not get support, Im suggesting you need to be patient. If everyone posted on both forums that would not be fair to anyone. Post on one or the other, but not both.

2 Likes
11

Top of the forum is a link to chat as https://riot.im/app/#/room/#safenetwork:matrix.org and dev has another.

Meetups are worth a mention too if you’re going to make a list, though imho then need a critical mass of singular focus, to make those worthwhile.

I don’t know how many other language forums there are but one over at Foro de Maidsafe for Spanish.

Good thought at Area51 for a new stackexchange topic.

and twitter, though I’ve always considered that more a bookmarking system, it sees the odd question thrown at it.

As for the OP query - separate is better. Dev forum is for the devs; here is for the wider userbase. Different perspective, benefits from a different forum.

3 Likes
12

It is a bad decision to split it up like that. I would believe this forum software has enough features to be able to create a dev subforum here that could isolate the “noise” from those who want to focus on just actual development issues.

3 Likes
13

Yes exactly, that’s exactly what I’m trying to say. And with mods, the rules / any attempted spam gets made very clear.

Please reunite them!!! It will greatly Help get things rolling much faster on both sides; the community gets to see that things are progressing well, and the devs get more input / faster answers!!! Win win win

Please @frabrunelle hear our plea, give it a shot, try making a strict, clear “dev” category on this forum so we can all see this great idea come to life

1 Like
14

Much, much worse.

Regular users should not be isolated from developers.

4 Likes
15

I never understood why the dev forum was seperate. If it were my forum I’d have it here as a sub. Simple.

2 Likes
16

Yes I think most people agree and hope to see this change from the higher-ups

1 Like
17

Right off the bat when it was first mentioned I thought it was a bad move.
To me this forum has lost its spark in recent months and I blame the watered down experience by splitting the community.

3 Likes
18

That’s so very true, it definitely seems like it has lost much of the spark it used to have. Lots of people I used to talk with on here seem to have left, janitor alKafir the guy with the Bugs Bunny Avatar with the gun, lol many more.

The least we can do is keep everything together. And make certain Dev threads have requirements for replying, so only devs can discuss but everyone else can keep up with it and like posts

That’s my Fantasy utopia SAFE forum :slight_smile:

1 Like
19

I like that post tho not sure the separation of the dev forum caused all those people to leave. Maybe it did, but that’d be a weird reason.

But is allowing Likes from everyone the only thing that should be implemented?

[I was just going to check to see if I could even _post_ on the dev forum myself. (I’m guessing I can’t? because if I could, I’m not sure what the point of this thread would be.) But either way, the dev forum says: This site can’t be reached. forum.safedev.org refused to connect.]

1 Like
20

Working here https://forum.safedev.org/ make sure its https