[FFML] A thought on the future of the FFML

[Brian Randall]

On Wed, Jun 26, 2013 at 12:59 PM, Mythril Moth
<mythrilmoth at mythrilmoth.net> wrote:
>
> Now, if we can agree to NOT wage personal attacks against one another, call
> a truce, and get back to the actual discussion of the list's future, please?
> Thank you.

I'm glad you found my original suggestion agreeable, Lurker.

If we you can agree with me on that, then perhaps we can agree on other things.


The main sticking point seems to be between people who want to add
extras, and people who don't, and it seems there is no happy medium.

What might be the most constructive approach would be to have the
mailing list be an export or real-time digest of a forum front-end (or
the like).  This would allow people to post in whatever format they
like (whatever protections from malicious code there are aside), and
then use html2text to output that to the list.  Replying to an e-mail
in the list would then port it back into the forum.  It shouldn't be
difficult for people who prefer the forum format to access a text only
version if that's what they're looking for, as well (it's already
being generated for the e-mail).

It's not ... quite the best of both worlds, but I'm not interested in
shiny html when I'm trying to provide commentary, so it'd make me (and
probably any other 'plain text' purists) happier, and presumably give
the pro-markup crowd what they wanted.  I suppose I'd actually have
the option of going any way.  Post in markdown, html, or html2text
output.

Even though that works for me, and (it _seems_ would meet everyone
else's ideals) there's a nontrivial amount of coding going into that
idea.  Before arguing about the fine details, what are the actual
features everyone would like?

Are we interested in preserving our own status as a place to discuss
fiction and avoid becoming a distribution venue?  If we are, how do we
achieve that?  Require logging into the forum to view stories to deter
casual non-commenting viewers?  Instead of just getting stuck on
supporting html or not, how will we actually even interface with it?
>From the 'email' side of things it seems quite clear, but the forum
side...?

--
Brian Randall
--
Yrne awaits those with the courage to seek it.
--
I write fanfiction. Too much of it. You can read it here, on my
terrible webpage:
http://www.soulriders.net/brian/