Today I followed a link which Cherri had referenced leading to a thread on the old TB2000. Upon reading the thread, I was reminded of a question that has been baffling me for nearly a year. If this has been discussed elsewhere, forgive me as I missed it...

It was very obvious that the Flints, the Deckers, the Hoffmeisters and the other so called "pollies" of the old forum were a huge burr under the saddles of those who controlled that forum's format. (ie- Yourdon, the moderators, the most vocal/influential "regulars", etc.) It was also very obvious that the arguments raised by these "pollies" routinely shot huge holes in the positions the pessimists/doomers held.

My question is; Why did they not password protect that forum in the same way they have done EZ board? This would still have allowed "newbies" to read the forum yet it would have prevented them from being "exposed" to all that DGI "wrong thinking". This would also have eliminated the need for the personal-attack dogs, who in their ignorance no doubt harmed "the cause" much more than they ever helped it. It seems to me a semi-closed format would have "hooked" far more newbies. (And after all, wasn't that one of the major unspoken goals?)

Perhaps the Greenspun forums don't allow a "read only" password-protect option? If so, why did they not move to a forum which did? Any thoughts on this?

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), April 29, 2000

Answers

>> Perhaps the Greenspun forums don't allow a "read only" password-protect option? <<

Correct.

>>If so, why did they not move to a forum which did? Any thoughts on this? <<

Well, eventually they did do exactly that. I guess the real question is why they didn't do it sooner. Several thoughts, but only guesses.

Inertia was probably the biggest factor. Packing up the entire forum and moving it would have been (and proved to be in the event) very disruptive to the forum's community of users. They didn't want to go to all that work and risk having no forum left at the end of the move, by losing too many folks.

Also, there was a lot of concern over presenting the picture of fairness. The sysops were convinced that they were doing their best (they probably were) and were sensitive to criticism of censorship and insensitivity. They didn't want to prove their opponent's point for them by moving to a format where censorship was the norm. It took Ed Y. to overcome the inertia and reluctance by leading them into the EZ Board desert, like some Moses. Without Ed's say-so, TB2K would still be active here.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), April 29, 2000.

Thanks for your thoughts Brian. You may very well have pegged it.

"It took Ed Y. to overcome the inertia and reluctance by leading them into the EZ Board desert, like some Moses." Great line BTW!

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), April 29, 2000.

CD,

The Greenspun Lusenet software most certainly does allow a forum to be password-protected. If you go to the LUSENET index, link, and scroll down the page, you will see a list of Active Private Forums. Click on any of those, and you will be asked to enter a password.

-- (trala@la.la), April 29, 2000.

Thanks tralala, but does a password protected LUSENET forum still offer the option of allowing the forum to be *read* by non-members? (That would have been a critical element.)

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), April 29, 2000.

I can't tell how long you guys have been around this and the 1st tb2000, but here's my take (for what it's worth)on what went on that resulted in the change.

The forum started out it seems, to collect and examine info regarding "the problem". As time went on (most of !998), this was done and commented on w/opinions on what might be the outcome, with many leaning toward preparing for possible serious problems.- About Jan. 1999, the forum began to get posts by some persons who were clearly there to disrupt discussion and not much else.- This activity caused a polarization, where as before differences of opinion were respected, but now, respect was lost.-

March 1999- 2000, with awarenss growing, new people began to find the forum and begin to offer opinions, which may have even been well meant, but were misunderstood, due to the previous disturbance.-

So after a solid year of childish trolling and other nonsensical post, I think most of the original posters had had enough, and decided to move on.-

That "other board" is far from perfect, but the alternative was like a crying baby in a movie theatre. ( I gotta be more careful, somebody will say I'm anti baby) Lately this place has become pretty mild by comparison; I wonder why......

-- KoFE (your@town.USA), April 29, 2000.

Kofe,

I had this feeling that the tone of the old board went through a couple of changes... I regretted at that time that Paul D & Buddy retreated to spinoff boards. I remember the change when certain influential figures came aboard, let alone when they held the keys to the kingdom.

I remember the disruptive voices, and am trying to come to terms with them. Was it all that the bomb was hostile to alternative opinions, or was it in the confrontation? I have the advantage of witnessing middle & high school personal politics transpiring in my home at the same time. I remember many times admonishing ' It's not what you say, but the way you say it' to a couple of folks during the halcyon days.

Please don't take off now. I remember you from long ago, and feel we have much to learn. The forum split came in a way that I could've not anticipated, there are lots of us out there who still have much to contribute...

-- flora (***@__._), April 29, 2000.

Hi Flora, and thanks for the kind invitation. I never really left; but for several reasons I post less, one is because this poor service I have disconnects often and it gets tiresome, so I mostly surf.

-- KoFE (Your@town.USA), April 29, 2000.

KoFE,

Hang in there.

As an emotional femme, I think I may be allowed to believe that it is the pearl of great price.

-- flora (***@__._), April 29, 2000.