Amiga Stack Exchange site

[TenLeftFingers]

I've found stackexchange incredibly helpful for getting to grips with linux and it would be amazing if something like this existed for Amiga OS and it's derivatives.

Personally, I find forums a laborious way of getting information sometimes - especially when it might be strewn across a long thread. On the other hand, there is a lot of great information here and very knowledgeable members.

After reading the stackexchange new site staging FAQ here
I see no reason why with enough people we couldn't create a fantastic resource for coders, OS and application users. Games and derivative OSes could be covered too.

I'm happy to admin the site, edit questions, moderate and even post common questions and provide answers where I know the answers. It would take a bit of work at first to get it right so I'm curious here what the level of interest is with helping define a the purpose of the site, engage with questions and edit/moderate content?

I need 5 users to follow the proposed site otherwise it gets closed within three days of creation. I'll wait to hear from people before starting it.

[Daedalus]

I think it would be a good idea indeed. The problem will be getting enough users to regularly visit it, otherwise you'll end up with a lot of unanswered questions, and questions taking longer to answer than they would if asked in one of the main forums. You can see this effect already on some of the other resources that have started up in recent years - amigacoding.de for example.

On the other hand, it might be worth an experiment, and I do think it would be a valuable asset if it did take off. I can't dedicate too much time to it, but I'm happy to follow it and answer the odd question when they pop up.

[TenLeftFingers]

Thanks Daedalus. You are right, this will fall flat on it's face without support. I think the result will be a much better use of everyone's time however, as information that people take time to impart on forums is often limited only to the OP. I believe this format that works so well is bound to expose Amiga knowledge better.

So, there are two of us so far Although I have also been contacted by PM. Let's see if there is any more interest.

[ovale]

Given the amount of questions tagged Amiga on SO, I doubt it will be self sustaining. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/amiga

I would love more Amiga stuff on SO.

[TenLeftFingers]

True, but I'm sure the same was true for Ubuntu before the dedicated site was created. I would not have thought to ask an Amiga question in that way.

[idrougge]

I don't really see the difference between asking a question on EAB and asking on StackExchange.

[TenLeftFingers]

The difference is finding existing information. Stackexchange is the best way to have meaningful and concise information catalogued.

[ReadOnlyCat]

It is a good idea and I would be interested in participating on the condition that management rules are formalized and 100% transparent.

Differences between Amiga Exchange and the EAB would be:
- Easier to tag/categorize and thus search.
- No discussions on Exchange, many discussions on the EAB.
- Types and format of questions more restricted on Exchange: no open questions. On the EAB there is virtually no restriction.

The purpose of the two sites is different. The EAB and Amiga Exchange would very likely constantly cross-reference each other.

[TenLeftFingers]

I agree with that. Nice to have you on board ReadOnlyCat

Edit: only two more people needed to commit and we have the minimum requirement to begin with Other's have been in touch that are interested but don't want to commit themselves. But they'll browse questions when they can and try to provide answers.

[TenLeftFingers]

Here are guidelines used on an existing site that can be used as a starting point:
https://askubuntu.com/help/asking

Please add any other suggestions on structuring ourselves. Maybe a video conference at some point would be beneficial? I could possibly get a mod from an existing stack exchange site to meet with us if we feel we need the guidance.

I like the idea, how do I follow?

[TenLeftFingers]

Originally Posted by dizimatt

I like the idea, how do I follow?

If you're subscribed to this thread, I'll post a link here when the proposal is submitted to stack overflow.

[tygre]

Dear TenLeftFingers and all!

I would be happy to contribute with my limited knowledge!

I have difficulties to follow questions/answers on EAB while on StackOverflow (or whatever StackExchange sub-sites), it should be easier

Thanks!

[idrougge]

Originally Posted by TenLeftFingers

The difference is finding existing information. Stackexchange is the best way to have meaningful and concise information catalogued.

I search Stackexchange the same way I search EAB. Using Google.

[ReadOnlyCat]

I suspect the biggest problem an Amiga exchange site would face would be people "not doing their homework" coming to the site to have their current bug fixed instead of understanding what they are doing. It is already an issue on Stack Overflow so these types of questions will have to be identified and flagged quickly to reduce the noise/signal ratio.

[TenLeftFingers]

@ReadOnlyCat, yes. According to Jeff Attwood, the two main tasks that take the time are flagging questions that need attention and editing ones that need rephrasing.

However, since a question is typically only asked once and may be a common question, it can be easier to just leave it in place than moderate the same question repeatedly every time it's asked.

[ascp]

+1 for the idea.

[ReadOnlyCat]

Originally Posted by TenLeftFingers

@ReadOnlyCat, yes. According to Jeff Attwood, the two main tasks that take the time are flagging questions that need attention and editing ones that need rephrasing.

However, since a question is typically only asked once and may be a common question, it can be easier to just leave it in place than moderate the same question repeatedly every time it's asked.

Most people will search first then post of course but the problem is the minority which posts without bothering. Usually these guys are also not cooperative when it comes to editing or validating answers.

It is a solvable problem thankfully and just requires prompt reaction to avoid accumulation.

[TenLeftFingers]

Ultimately I wouldn't mind seeing every question have an answer - even: "what is a Kickstart ROM?". Since we are dealing with such an old system I think there's an opportunity to create a 'bible' that's very good at giving you the results you want. But we may need to discriminate more

Originally Posted by ReadOnlyCat

It is a good idea and I would be interested in participating on the condition that management rules are formalized and 100% transparent.

Besides the link I already gave ( https://askubuntu.com/help/asking ), is there anything you'd like to add?

We might be at a point where it's hard to tell if we will gather any more interested parties at this early stage. It's also unclear if we might loose a few who are waiting for the project to be submitted. Maybe it's time to press the big red button?

[tygre]

Hi TenLeftFingers!

So, what's next to do to start?