[SciPy-Dev] Unpacking the mailing list: Discourse, Slack = Mailing list

[Ralf Gommers]

On Thu, May 20, 2021 at 1:26 PM Matti Picus <matti.picus at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> On 20/5/21 12:40 pm, Pamphile Roy wrote:
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > We had a chat Ralf, Stéfan and I about moving away from the mailing list.
> >
> > The idea would be to move over Discourse under the umbrella of
> >
> > https://discuss.scientific-python.org
> > <https://discuss.scientific-python.org>
> >
> > Stéfan proposes to do the migration work and I can also provide some
> > help if needed (the complete history would be imported).
> > I also propose to help administrate/moderate this space.
>

Thanks Pamphile and Stéfan for offering to do the heavy lifting here.

>
> > As Serge expressed during the meetup, we should be careful when moving
> > to Discourse as some people
> > might be reluctant to come. Which would fragment the community. Hence,
> > we should force the move by sunsetting the mail list.
>

+1, if the decision is to move - then we should move (= migrate content,
leave the mailing list behind).


> > On the same topic, I would discuss the possibility to use Slack (or
> > another platform for real-time chat).
> > This has proven to be helpful for NumPy and other projects and we
> > should also see the benefits.
> >
> > Let us know what you think.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Pamphile
> >
> Among criteria for a community forum might be:
>
> - permanence: can we find a discussion in ten years when we went to
> figure out what led to a particular decision
>
> - transparency: will the discussions be archived in a public manner with
> little need for logins or signups
>
> - searchability: is there a good way to search the discussions for
> relevant fragments (single words are often not enough).
>
>
> So for me slack is not a good option for a community forum, but it could
> be an additional side channel, as long as it is clear what goes where.
> NumPy's use of slack is limited to short informal chats between
> developers or chats with newcomers who might be intimidated by the
> permanence of the community forum.
>

+1 to this point. It's probably best to leave Slack for a separate
discussion at a later time, since it serves a very different purpose from a
mailing list or forum like Discourse.


>
> I am not sure how long discourse promises to preserve discussions.


I think forever? You can always export an archive, in case the hosted
Discourse ever shuts up shop.

I am a dinosaur and prefer email. Discourse -> email seems to work OK for
> the
> python forums I monitor.
>

Same here. The Python packaging Discourse I follow seems to work well
though, and is searchable. So while for me personally email / mailing lists
works okay, I think it's more important to provide a better experience for
newcomers and the generation that didn't grow up with old school mailing
lists.

Cheers,
Ralf
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