Need more topics in the opensuse forum, like in ubuntuforums

[suskewiet]

Sometimes when looking for a linux solution I end up looking for anwsers in the ubuntuforums Ubuntu Forums.
It is my opinion that the sections of the ubuntuforums are much better organized than the sections in this forum. What I mean is that ubuntuforum has sections for very popular apps which many users have problems with, eg compiz,desktop effects. I believe that by adding following sections would make it easier for user to retrieve anwsers:

• desktop effects
• 64 bit
• video
• Gnome
• KDE

The way it is done now, all questions for the above topics are asked in the applications section. This makes it harder to find a topic which matches your problem because many unrelated questions are grouped together. (From my personal experience I only search 5 pages ahead. The search function of the forum didn't do its job very well last time I used it, so I never use that). After that, if I didn't find a solution I add a new topic. I believe that many users do the same, think about all the compiz related questions in the applications section! (Sorry if this is not correct).This means that some questions are added multiple times.
Another argument is that the specific sections avoid getting eg kde anwsers for a question from a gnome user. Or a problem specific for 64 bit with a 32 bit solution...

[suskewiet]

Oh and to make it clear: by 64 bit section I mean a software section for 64 bit. (Now there is a 64 bit hardware section). Many users have software problems with 64 bit, like the browserplugins for firefox (java, flash, ...)

[paddy48]

I agree. This forum here is not really helpful. On the other hand the quality standard of Opensuse is very similar to Ubuntu.

[russlar]

I have to disagree.

On the Ubuntu forums, it is true that they have specific sub-forums for specific issues, however 90% of the membership reads only the "General Help" sub-forum.

[scouser73]

In replying to paddy48, I wouldn't say that this forum isn't helpful. It should be better constructed though, like the Ubuntu forums, they have many segments covered in that forum. We need to expand on things like 32bit and 64bit architectures, what programs to install and how to install them. What a newbie should do when they've installed openSUSE. Also, I have made a comment that there posters should mark their post as [SOLVED] when an issue has been fixed, this does not mean that someone else looking for the exact same answer can't find the original posting.

We need to be better organised, and I'm more than willing to help out in any way possible.

[kgroneman]

This is a good topic of discussion.

BACKGROUND:
The current layout was what was decided on by the combined staff during the original merge in June. Much discussion was had at that time about it and though what you see is what was settled on, we're definitely open to additions and changes.

TO MAKE A CHANGE:
To make a change, there should be pretty good backing for the change as people suggest changes all the time and if we implemented every one, the forum layout would be ever changing and confusing. I'm watching change request threads to see how much traction they get in the community. Almost 20,000 registered users now and if only a couple of people are in favor of the change, I don't even take it back to the staff for discussion (any staff member can bring a suggestion up to the staff for discussion).

If a change request does seem to get good traction with the community (e.g. a good number of folks think it's a good idea) then the staff will discuss it and determine if it should be implemented.

Anyway, thanks for starting/participating in a discussion like this. This is the way the community can influence how the forums are laid out and run. I'll continue to watch the thread.

[seld]

Originally Posted by kgroneman

I'm watching change request threads to see how much traction they get in the community. Almost 20,000 registered users now and if only a couple of people are in favor of the change, I don't even take it back to the staff for discussion (any staff member can bring a suggestion up to the staff for discussion).

If a change request does seem to get good traction with the community (e.g. a good number of folks think it's a good idea) then the staff will discuss it and determine if it should be implemented.

But how do you measure forum users' backing for such change requests?
If you just count posts in the thread where suggestion has been made,
then I don't think it is a good method.

The reason is: sometimes users (including myself)
just don't post anything to the thread,
if they don't have anything to say (or everything is said already before them).
But that doesn't mean they are not interested in the topic.

For example, in "Forums Comments/Suggestions"
section there are two threads with basically the same suggestion:
develop a way to mark thread as solved or answered:
"Threads marked as solved" - 2 posts and 111 views
and
"edit thread status when answered" - 7 posts and 255 views.
I suppose it means that majority of forum users
post rarely, usually they just read.
By the way, if I support this idea with marking thread SOLVED,
should I post "Yes, I'd like to have that feature too." in these threads?

What is my suggestion?
Make a Survey/Poll for ideas, so you can see,
how much people actually support concrete proposal.
But, unfortunatelly, currently you can't make thread
with survey/poll in "Forums Comments/Suggestions".

So, I think,
currently the best way to make a suggestion is:
1) create thread in "Forums Comments/Suggestions" section
2) create thread with a same name in "Surveys/Polls" section.
Should I act that way if I'll have some forum suggestion too?

[69_rs_ss]

seld wrote:
> [snip]
> But how do you measure forum users' backing for such change requests?
> If you just count posts in the thread where suggestion has been made,
> then I don't think it is a good method.
>
> The reason is: sometimes users (including myself)
> just don't post anything to the thread,
> if they don't have anything to say (or everything is said already
> before them).
> But that doesn't mean they are not interested in the topic.
>
I'd suggest either posting to the thread that you agree or disagree, or
start a poll.

> For example, in "Forums Comments/Suggestions"
> section there are two threads with basically the same suggestion:
> develop a way to mark thread as solved or answered:
> "Threads marked as solved" - 2 posts and 111 views
> and
> "edit thread status when answered" - 7 posts and 255 views.
> I suppose it means that majority of forum users
> post rarely, usually they just read.
> By the way, if I support this idea with marking thread SOLVED,
> should I post "Yes, I'd like to have that feature too." in these
> threads?
>
I'd say yes, that is one way of doing it.

> What is my suggestion?
> Make a Survey/Poll for ideas, so you can see,
> how much people actually support concrete proposal.
> But, unfortunatelly, currently you can't make thread
> with survey/poll in "Forums Comments/Suggestions".
>
Fortunately though, that is why we have the Surveys & Polls section
where members can start polls.

> So, I think,
> currently the best way to make a suggestion is:
> 1) create thread in "Forums Comments/Suggestions" section
> 2) create thread with a same name in "Surveys/Polls" section.
> Should I act that way if I'll have some forum suggestion too?
>
>
I personally believe that would be the best way to do it. It makes
things easy to see what issues a member may have and also with the poll,
how many other members see if the same as an issue.

[oldcpu]

Originally Posted by scouser73

Also, I have made a comment that there posters should mark their post as [SOLVED] when an issue has been fixed, this does not mean that someone else looking for the exact same answer can't find the original posting.

We had a big internal discussion about this idea, and in the end, we decided that given the technical nature of our forum, this was difficult to implement, and would require too much effort.

Some of the questions, ... who puts [SOLVED] on a thread ? What happens if the exact and precisely correct answer is provided, but original poster never replies? Is the thread considered never " [SOLVED]" ? What happens if the original poster asks a very general question, and no matter what answer is given, they keep tagging another and another and another and another question on to the original? Can the post ever be made [SOLVED] ? What if the original poster is given the correct answer, but they disagree, and they refuse to agree, even though the answer is correct? Can the thread ever be made [SOLVED] ?

What happens if other users join the thread, and post their problems (which is a pet peeve of mine) and they never agree to the thread closure? Can the thread still be marked [SOLVED] ? This can go on and on, and there is the risk of disputes and flames, over putting a label [SOLVED] on a thread. Why risk that? What is the benefit?

Also, if one marks the thread as [SOLVED] , it can be more difficult to propogate that information to the NNTP users (where to my knowledge, Ubuntu does NOT have the NNTP interface than openSUSE has).

[freedguy]

Totally agree with oldcpu.