Vote to end monster thread
I am a member!
This thread has gotten so far from its subject it is ridiculous: https://trisquel.info/en/forum/eu-all-your-internet-are-belong-us
More importantly, it has become a platform for political extremism. Trisquel is about free software, not about political extremism. While this is the Troll Lounge, it is still the Trisquel community. We don't want people coming here and seeing a bunch of political radicals.
I am guilty of participating in the above thread, but--for the THIRD TIME--I will try and end it.
So I call for a vote. This is very simple. All you do is start your post with a:
+1 if you vote to end the thread
-1 if you vote to keep the thread
I will begin with my vote to end the thread by just replying to this post with '+1'
-1
Are political radicals not welcome?
I might not be radical myself, but I'd like to think that most people coming to this forum will have enough sense to see that there are political radicals in any community and that the Troll Lounge isn't representative of Trisquel's views as a whole.
-1
As long they are in the troll hole, not the main forum!
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" I'd like to think that most people coming to this forum will have enough sense to see that there are political radicals in any community and that the Troll Lounge isn't representative of Trisquel's views as a whole."
This is an excellent point, and I felt a sense of relief reading it because I think you are absolutely right.
However, this was not my only reason for recommending that the thread by closed. IMHO the decision is overdetermined. I was focusing on the political radicalism aspect, and I feel satisfied by your response that we shouldn't be so concerned about this.
Another reason to close the thread is that it has become an argument for our having one single thread for the entire troll lounge. It begs the question, "when do we start new threads" I can anticipate the answer, "whenever we want to!" Still, if you dump the equivalent of 10 threads into one thread, you lose out on the power of organized communication. To illustrate this, just imagine what it would be like if there were one and only one thread that everybody posted to? It wouldn't be impossible, just unnecessarily, and inconveniently, messy.
In the name of anarchism (another favorite here, I know) perhaps we should keep the thread as a catch-all thread where anybody tosses in any topic at any time. Maybe like the bar at the lounge as opposed to individual tables or rooms in the lounge?
Maybe I just like organization too much, but I like seeing the thread list and having at least a rough idea of what it is about before entering and investing my time.
> Still, if you dump the equivalent of 10 threads into one thread, you lose out on the power of organized communication.
That's only a problem because this forum nests posts based on what post is being responded to. It's a good idea for mailing lists, but a terrible idea for a forum. Posts should just appear in the order that they were posted, and then a change in topic wouldn't be that big of a deal.
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"Posts should just appear in the order that they were posted..."
Absolutely. I would love for the nesting to be eliminated.
"...then a change in topic wouldn't be that big of a deal."
Change my statement from "10 threads into one thread" to "100 threads into one thread". Better yet, change my statement to "all threads into one thread"--which is the point I am getting at.
Everybody would have to read everything just to see if there is a topic of interest for them. Granted, they could use the search feature. However, that will only help if they know what to search for. For example, if somebody brings up the subject of Mohammed Ali 900 posts in, then 20 posts address it and another 150 go by, even if somebody just reads the latest post (1070), they would have no idea that Mohammed Ali was discussed. They would also have no reason to come into the forums one day and out of the blue say, "Hey, I wonder if somebody brought up the topic of Mohammed Ali today?!, let me search for it using the search feature".
Meanwhile, if the average thread length was 20 posts, for example, then those same 1000 posts would correspond to 50 thread titles. It is a lot easier to scan through 50 thread titles than it is to skim through 1000 posts! Just think of the number of pages a person would have to navigate through. On a large monitor, 50 threads is 2 pages. 1,000 posts is around 20 pages (could be much more, though)
So a thread list is preferable for multiple reasons--which is probably why we have one. But again there is that anarchist instinct, that contrarian instinct. Perhaps I would have been better off coming in here and advocating that we make a really big thread instead of having multiple threads. Who needs organization--let's hear it for anarchy! Then the contrarians would step in and argue for organization! Then just let the anarchists and the contrarians duke it out! :p
By which I meant, you would never have the situation where several topics are discussed simultaneously in one thread. It would be too inconvenient. The topic would just shift with time, as in most forums. Anyone who wanted to discuss something else would start a new topic of their own volition.
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"you would never have the situation where several topics are discussed simultaneously in one thread."
OK, I see what you mean now. Yes, the nested format allows for separate discussions to go on 'without interruption' so to speak. Each nest is like a separate room and a person can just post to their part of the thread and ignore the others. You have my vote for switching the threads to a non-nested format.
"Anyone who wanted to discuss something else would start a new topic of their own volition."
Granted, it is more likely for that to happen in a non-nested format, as starting new topics in the same thread would interrupt the old ones which is inconvenient, chaotic, and maybe even rude.
Given that people will start new topics of their own volition in a non-nested format, does that mean the opposite holds true for a nested format? The reason I ask, is that this thread is about closing a nested thread (what I call "the monster thread"). In fact, it is soliciting votes, or opinions, about whether or not to close that monster thread.
So, what is your opinion? Should we close the monster thread?
Welcome? Sure.
What if they get too noisy?
Plus there's no difference between voting against a post, and doing the exact same thing regarding a thread, if it contains nothing worth reading.
On the other hand, I'd rather let this troll die of hunger this time. But I'd gladly downvote the whole thing if it takes bigger proportions.
Not a great solution, but better than letting it grow.
-1
troll hole/lounge as long as people respect each other and stay polite (which was not the case of the very same ones asking for ....help close this thread)
Some lack of trolliness JadeCTRL once said?
There were days when BLAG & Jeff Moe had a "politics
rants, trolls, & belles-lettres"and that didn't bother anyone
I quite like that term ""belles-lettres"
I started a thread a few weeks back about my half-baked conspiracy hypothesis regarding canonical, microsoft and snaps and it spun way out of control. I wasnt aware at the time I could post such controversial views in the troll lounge. I do think this stuff is part of the free software community in the sense that ultimately we are resisting a trend towards loss of freedoms and those that are a big part of those loss of freedoms are the global elite that think they own us. I think its perfectly possibly and fine to talk about these things and not even be concerned about debate. just sharing points of view and and food for thought. I just try my best to not be paranoid and keep up the golden rule.
I am a translator!
I wouldn't trust Canonical with a dead rat.. but then again I don't trust many things and that is just me.
Yea, that thread did really spin out of control.
I'm still not sure what all the hate on Canonical is about (other than non-free software+firmware in OS and in Software Centre), tbh.