Re: On comp.soft-sys.math.mathematica being moderated [Re: Mathematica problem - generate filename automatically]

Nasser Abbasi wrote:
Daniel;

There is also one very important inefficiency in the Math group:

person A posts a question. Person B sees the question, spends time on it, and finds an answer, and sends it. But because the answer does not show up for days, then person C comes in and sees the same question with no answer yet, and they have no way to find out that an answer is in the queue, so person C also spends time to help, and sends the answer.
Person D comes in, and does the same, etc....It is like group of people walking in the dark, no one sees what the other is doing.

Many times, I see the same answer being given by n different people. This is waste of people's time. On Matlab newsgroup, when I see a question, and I see a good answer there, then I go on to see if I help someone else who does not have an answer yet. This way the help gets used where it is useful, and not wasted. So I think an un-moderated Math group will result in much more efficient use of resources, and I think it will help Mathematica become much more popular, and it will result in more people learning more about Mathematica, becuase more people will be involved in the discussion when there is no such long delays.


FWIW, I did seriously consider the idea of setting up an unmoderated Mathematica newsgroup. I posted the idea on here:

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/sci.math.symbolic/browse_frm/thread/ed8da0f710d5c60/96138901bd4775d6?hl=en&lnk=st&q=mathematica+unmoderated+dave&rnum=1#96138901bd4775d6

back in April 2005. At the request of the group that sets up the newsgroups, I asked Steve if he would allow comp.soft-sys.math.mathematica to become unmoderated. Steve replied to me it would remain moderated.

I tried to post my proposal for comp.soft-sys.math.mathematica.unmoderated on comp.soft-sys.math.mathematica, but my post never appeared - I guess it did not meet the moderators approval!

I think everyone will benefit from free and open and unrestricted technical discussion.

If there was sufficient interest, it may be possible to get comp.soft-sys.math.mathematica.unmoderated (or whatever a proposer wanted). But when I muted this before, there was not sufficient interest .. A few people said they would welcome it for Mathematica and one person thought it would be a good idea, as it would remove traffic from sci.math.symbolic, although he would not subscribe to it himself.

It was clear there was no way I would have got the support needed, so I gave up the idea.

--
Dave (from the UK)

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