How do you get comfortable with Dlang.org's Forum?

[Biocyberman]

Kagamin wrote:
> On Friday, 23 February 2018 at 13:47:16 UTC, biocyberman wrote:
>> From my experience with forum platforms like vBulletin, phpBB, 
>> Invision Power, and even interfaces of Google group, and Github 
>> Issues, I still find it very difficult to understand the logics of 
>> using dlang's forum.
> 
> You make it sound like "I even learned clay tablets" :)
Sorry that it kicked in that way. I didn't mean I know all from modern 
to ancient if that is what you mean with 'learning clay tablets'. But I 
did mean that even with quite some experience, I still find it 
challenging to use the forum. I gave example of an typical forum 
interface to a less typical one. dlang's forum is not anywhere on this 
scale, in my opinion.

> 
>> 1. No post editting. After clicking send, and found out that you made 
>> mistakes in the post, but you can't edit the post anymore.
> 
> Stackoverflow has this feature, and it's pretty popular on forums too, 
> because when someone abuses editing, people complain that discussions 
> make no sense anymore.
> 
I mean to edit a post right after posting. stackoverflow and many other 
forums have 5 minutes or more before they lock editing. Only comments on 
stackoverflow are locked by the way.

>> 2. Old-day quoting presentation. I always feel reluctant to read texts 
>> that stays after two levels of quotes, like this:
>>  >First post quoted
>>  >>Second post quoted
>>  >>>Third post quoted
>>  >>Second post quoted
> 
> Stackoverflow and github have this feature. Though normally web 
> interface hides the angle quotes, so they shouldn't interfere with reading.
> 
I mean, the angle quotes are the problem.

>> 3. No Rich-text format support. No minimal bold/italic support.
>>  Some tools to emphasize important points will make it easier to let 
>> the readers know what the posters want to say.
> 
> Bold and italic is a wrong way to format text because it's visual 
> formatting that lacks semantic. You can use markdown to add *emphasis*, 
> it's pretty intuitive, stackoverflow and github have it too. Emphasis 
> only expresses emotions, which can actually distract from content, you 
> better spend time expressing ideas.
> 
I appreciate your preference on this. And I agree with out if it is some 
sort of formal writing. In short and informal one, it is a way to give 
visual cues.

>> 4.  No code formatting. Same feeling here. I am reluctant to post more 
>> than 5 lines of code.
> 
> run.dlang.org
> 
I will use this from now on.

>> 5. No image support. In many cases a screenshots will be helpful to 
>> communicate problems.
> 
> abload.de
I am aware of third party sites to upload image, but I meant a built-in 
and in-place image display.
> 
>> 6. Last but not least, a trendy feature: tags, keywords for threads so 
>> we can locate related threads easily.
> 
> Usually nobody bothers to fill them, so they won't give you any result.
> 
I do fill them for every question post on stackoverflow. And I find them 
very helpful.

>> If I may say it honestly, and despite the useful 'save unsent draft' 
>> feature, the forum is by far the most user-unfriendly forum platform 
>> ever (by appearance).
> 
> If I were to order them by user-friendliness (in descending order):
> dfeed > forums >>> github > stackoverflow > skype
I think it has much to do with setting expectation right. Haven't used 
dfeed, I had trouble understanding dlang's forum but much less trouble 
with others.