--- "David A. Black" <dblack / wobblini.net> wrote:

> Hi --
> 
> On Wed, 8 Sep 2004, Brian Wisti wrote:
> 
> > Don't wait for approval from the whole community, because you're
> not
> > going to get it. There will always be some folks who think that all
> > communication about Ruby should be through a single central list. 
> 
> I agree with the first sentence (as per one of my earlier posts), but
> not with the second.  No one's talking about "all communication about
> Ruby" taking place here on this list.  I mentioned the IRC channel;
> others have mentioned wikis, and so on.  I think the reservations
> that
> have been raised have to do with the merits of a nuby-helping-nuby
> environment, as well as the fact that this list is historically a
> home
> for nubies as well as experienced users. 

Well, I wasn't referring to you *specifically*, just overgeneralizing
to make a wobbly point :-)


> > I understand their motivation, but these folks have to realize that
> > a newbie is going to be seriously intimidated by a high-traffic
> list
> > discussing everything from basic Ruby questions to the fundamental
> > underpinnings of object-orientation and occasional digressions
> about
> > the One True Operating System.
> 
> Fear and intimidation keep coming up.  I just hate to see that.  It's
> so much not what the regulars on this list have tried hard to
> cultivate :-(

Very little fear and intimidation is deliberately introduced to the
list. I'm just thinking about the positive experiences I had with 
Python Tutor list. People felt comfortable asking stupid questions,
because they were safe from being flooded by acronyms, buzzwords, and
terminology that provided more information than they were ready for.
Most folks would only be subscribed to the list for a few months, and
would then move on to the much noisier official Python newsgroup.
However, a few would stick around to provide answers for future nervous
newbies.

ruby-talk is a great forum. It's just that it's a forum for
*everything*, while some folks may be more comfortable with a forum
specifically for learning Ruby.

I do like the [NUBY] filtering scheme, though. :-)

-- Brian Wisti
http://coolnamehere.com/