Stuart Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 I'd like to sound out opinions on a new sub-forum for TMS99xx development that is not directly related to the TI-99/4A. Potentially to cover single-board or breadboard systems like those I've produced, the Powertran Cortex and Mini-Cortex designs, and there are a couple of people doing some interesting development using the TMS99110. It would be handy to have a forum for discussions rather than using e-mail that some of us are currently using. We already have a few topics for this in the TI-99/4A Development subforum but it tends to get swamped by the TI-99 stuff, and there are probably enough TI-99 enthusiasts interested in other TMS99xx development that having it as a sub-forum (rather than somewhere else completely - not on AtariAge) is a good idea. Thoughts? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Geneve included? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 Geneve included? I would say that the Geneve is so closely related to the TI-99/4A that Geneve stuff could go in the existing TI-99/4A Development sub-forum. But I would leave the decision to the poster. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jedimatt42 Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 +1 I have lots of hopes and dreams to spend development time with each member of the 9900 family I have acquired... A sub-forum makes sense, both because there is less of it, and to make what there is more visible, which will encourage more of it. -M@ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 I am wary of further sub-division of the forums. Recent conversations seem to have settled on the idea that our subs are inclusive of the non-99/4A stuff like the Geneve and BASICCALCs, while generally referred to as 99/4A being the catalyst. There is a parent "Classic Computing" forum which could be used and is low-traffic enough not to swamped by the TI-99 specific stuff. When I look at the structure of the forums on AtariAge I see it divided by platforms rather than being more granular like CPU, etc. To that regard there is also a "Hardware" forum which could be a potential home for that level of development. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+retroclouds Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) Even though I am generally not for having many subforums, I feel confident that the time has come for getting a new subforum for non ti-99/4a TMSxxxx systems. It would allow getting more visibility. I mean if it could include the Geneve and Tomy Tutor it would already make it worth it to me. We are getting so many topics nowadays (which I am very happy about), that it can get easy to lose track of things. +1 from my side edit: and yes, Id rather see the subforum here on Atariage as somewhere else. Back when I requested the TI-99/4a subforum here on Atariage it was also a bit controversal at first. My idea was to get crossover from the other home computer and game system folks (colecovision) and I think it has proven to work out well. Edited January 13, 2018 by retroclouds 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Schmitzi Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 I would like to see a Geneve9640-subforum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimes99er Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Back when I requested the TI-99/4a subforum here on Atariage it was also a bit controversal at first. My idea was to get crossover from the other home computer and game system folks (colecovision) and I think it has proven to work out well. And also getting a better platform for communication, pictures, files, polls etc. At least I think it works better than the Yahoo groups. I'm not sure how many posts we have on average per day, but in that respect I don't see a need for more sub-forums. We all have our distinct interests and may see things "swamped", off topic, "more visible", detoured, bumped, double posted etc. If it where, I'd rather see a "non-TI-99/4A"-subforum, than one that limits this to something "TMS99xx" based. Then including calculators etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+InsaneMultitasker Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Lately the forums feel like an extension of the old Yahoo email list server. Many topics are started fresh instead of re-using existing topics, which for me creates a lot of disconnects when I try to figure out what was posted where. I suppose there isn't an easy answer in a forum environment, especially one where the topics get pushed to the next page so quickly. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimes99er Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Lately the forums feel like an extension of the old Yahoo email list server. Many topics are started fresh instead of re-using existing topics, which for me creates a lot of disconnects when I try to figure out what was posted where. I suppose there isn't an easy answer in a forum environment, especially one where the topics get pushed to the next page so quickly. Ha! Yes, you're absolutely right. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Schmitzi Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) Call me wrong, but I think with more than 4.300 topics and 105.000+ replies we are one of the biggest forum here on AtariAge PS: (Not sure about wether the 1.700+ topics and 47k replies from the developer forum have to be added to that number) Edit: No, think not Edited January 14, 2018 by Schmitzi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Currently there is so much activity going on that too much non TI-99 stuff can be considered noise to the disinterested. I do not mean this in a bad way, it's just that our little platforms success and it's variants bring a lot of traffic and interest. I'm even finding it hard to keep up with everything, so I would welcome a new subform. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Not that my opinion really matters all that much, but Ive always opposed splitting again. But things can change I suppose. We should consider how many new CC40, TI-74, Tomy Tutor, and Geneve topics we have per week. If that number of new posts warrants a new subforum, then I say go for it. From my count, its generally not more than 2-3 new posts per week.... so, if that warrants it to you, go for it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jedimatt42 Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 To me a part of the goal of a subforum would be to make the fewer topics more visible. When someone comes to the forum and doesn't see any of that sort of talk going on because it was pushed down a few pages, they aren't going to look further.. Or at least that's what I project based on my own behavior. I wouldn't be messing around with TIs at all today if the development subforum didn't exist. -M@ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 One major benefit for a lower trafficked subform on "ti99.atariage.com" (what I consider the MAIN PAGE) is that the latest NEW post is clearly visible. Like some others said, normally those posts would get "LOST" amongst the other stuff and pushed off the front page and possibly overlooked or forgotten, which would actually be kinda sad for those with interests in those areas. 1) A new sub-form would ALWAYS be visible and any new traffic would not be overlooked. 2) If a new forum ever gets crazy busy like the development forum can get from time to time, it will not bother those with no interest in those specific aspects of the hobby. It sounds like a Win-Win situation to me. Go ahead and type ti99.atariage.com into your browser and see where it takes you. I have that in my favorites and on many occasions do not go anywhere else. It's an easy way to get here and not all areas on atariage have a dedicated url. We TI'ers are lucky! It's the address I give all prospective and returning TI'ers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimes99er Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 One major benefit for a lower trafficked subform on "ti99.atariage.com" (what I consider the MAIN PAGE) is that the latest NEW post is clearly visible. Like some others said, normally those posts would get "LOST" amongst the other stuff and pushed off the front page and possibly overlooked or forgotten, which would actually be kinda sad for those with interests in those areas. 1) A new sub-form would ALWAYS be visible and any new traffic would not be overlooked. 2) If a new forum ever gets crazy busy like the development forum can get from time to time, it will not bother those with no interest in those specific aspects of the hobby. It sounds like a Win-Win situation to me. Okay. With this in mind I have to say that I like for the two, from time to time, busy forums, "TI-99/4A Computers" and "TI-99/4A Development", to be split up further. Then things would have to go crazy-crazy before stuff is pushed off the cliff. Regarding each of the forums. I look through the new posts, go to what seems to be of interest, go back to that forum, and finally hit the "Mark this forum as read" button. Next time I come around I can easily see any new posts. With this technique I think I would actually be all fine with all posts in one forum. I'm like overlooking nothing. Yes. Go ahead and type ti99.atariage.com into your browser and see where it takes you. I have that in my favorites and on many occasions do not go anywhere else. It's an easy way to get here and not all areas on atariage have a dedicated url. We TI'ers are lucky! It's the address I give all prospective and returning TI'ers. The best of addresses is of course dev99.atariage.com! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+InsaneMultitasker Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 One major benefit for a lower trafficked subform on "ti99.atariage.com" (what I consider the MAIN PAGE) is that the latest NEW post is clearly visible. Like some others said, normally those posts would get "LOST" amongst the other stuff and pushed off the front page and possibly overlooked or forgotten, which would actually be kinda sad for those with interests in those areas. To me this is not much different than all of the TI-99/4A posts/topics that get pushed off the front page, overlooked, and forgotten. One result of being a popular forum. A subforum might fix things for the niche systems, though it doesn't do much to help various TI topics from getting 'lost' among the chatter. I suppose for these lesser-used systems, it wouldn't bother me all that much if they got split out to help with their visibility. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 What I did was enter the threads that I was particularly interested in as "Favorite Places" on AOL so I can go to them directly. On AOL the threads that have new entries since I last signed off and looked at them appear in bold blue type so they are easy to see. Both Fora are searchable by keywords so it shouldn't be much of a problem to find what interests you. I don't think splitting the two Fora further would serve any great purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimes99er Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 What I did was enter the threads that I was particularly interested in as "Favorite Places" on AOL so I can go to them directly. On AOL the threads that have new entries since I last signed off and looked at them appear in bold blue type so they are easy to see. Both Fora are searchable by keywords so it shouldn't be much of a problem to find what interests you. I don't think splitting the two Fora further would serve any great purpose. You can of course use the "Follow this topic" button and get instant messages to your e-mail. In which case I can get an Atari beep on my phone. The AtariAge Search and especially the Advanced Search () facilities are more than okay. You can also use Google Search to some extent. Finding certain old stuff can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but usually a matter of finding the right keywords and criteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Splitting a forum isn't like splitting a stock... It doesn't just double the usability and popularity... What we are talking about doing is more like splitting a school classroom. Yea, you get smaller classes, and each one can focus more acutely on different things, but I think you'll find that splitting resources will diminish, rather than augment, our community. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+9640News Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Lately the forums feel like an extension of the old Yahoo email list server. Many topics are started fresh instead of re-using existing topics, which for me creates a lot of disconnects when I try to figure out what was posted where. I suppose there isn't an easy answer in a forum environment, especially one where the topics get pushed to the next page so quickly. I am partly to blame for some of the extra new topics. As an example, there have been various subjects for example on the WiModem232. Testing with various BBS's, initial FTP connection to Whtech, Disk base use, etc., I personally thought it would allow one to read or find subject matter based upon their individual interest. Me personally, there are some topics that have 70+ pages and the discussions may be pretty diverse. I'm not going to step through 70+ pages. That's me. If I am looking for something, I do a search and hope I find something somewhere in the forum and I hope the title of the topic makes me want to dig deeper. As far as this topic, I read the first post on it days ago when it was first posted. Only because I saw something like 19 replies did I drop back in here to see what was taking place. Now, if there was an offline reader available for this forum, I would really love that.............. Beery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+adamantyr Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 I don't see the need for a sub forum when we have the tools to filter the content to match what you want already. Use tags to mark your topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+acadiel Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 IMHO, I don't feel splitting up new subforums is the way to handle it. Thread management is probably the key. If someone, for example, starts up another CC-40 thread, we can probably move the comments into the CC-40 topic, unless it's something that merits its own thread. Who all in here 1) Reads these forums every day? 2) Has the power to move said posts into a thread if the need arises? -jg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 The OP was mostly concerned about the posts relating to single-board systems and other TMS99xx fun are getting swamped by TI threads. I see the value of another subforum... Some of the Atari boards have multiple subforums, and they seem to do okay. The question is: "is our Atariage community large or robust enough to handle another subforum for TMS99xx or Single board systems?" I don't know. I know our people here are very diverse and have multiple interests. Do we want this to be a community-oriented forum, or a TI-99/4A-oriented forum? If we are more community-related (and want to cater in some way to our diverse interests) then I say another subforum is the way to go. If we want to be more TI-99/4A related, I say we make a sticky at the top of the board for Other TMS99xx interests and projects. Something like "Non-4A Computer Discussion" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 (edited) What is dangerous about forming a subforum, and what cannot be repaired when it fails? I suggest to call it "Beyond 4A". Edited January 15, 2018 by mizapf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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