Private Messages?

This is not necessarily so.
Why do you think private messaging is used so successfully in many forums outside of Mepis ?

If people feel for any reason that they are not "free" to discuss certain issues in a supposedly open forum - then either they will work it out in private (given the opportunity) & THEN bring their result to open forum or simply keep quiet.
One way everybody has the POTENTIAL to gain - the other everyone loses out & once doors are shut to people they often do not return.

I thought I said in my original post that I was concerned about discretion. I believe that no-one will take a technical discussion into private messages unless they wish to deprive others of the 'benefit' of their opinions, and in that case we are better off without them. What concerns me is that there are situations in which private messages can convey information that would be embarrassing in a public communication even though helpful.

As a manufactured example, suppose that Poster P has a problem with anomolous behavior of MEPIS which he cannot even begin to understand. He posts a description of the behavior which reveals that he is no fool; he knows what is germaine and what is not, and he expresses himself clearly. Administrator K (knowledgable) immediately infers that the cause is defective RAM. K replies to P's post with a tactful suggestion that P test his RAM. Two more posts from P make no mention of testing RAM despite K's repeated suggestion. At this point K infers that P doesn't know how to test his RAM and is embarrassed to admit that. If he could, K would send P a private message explaining how to test RAM; but if he can't send a private message he is reduced to increasingly emphatic (and at some point, less tactful) expressions of the importance of testing RAM. Eventually either K gives up or he publicly posts the method for testing RAM, which undoubtedly embarrasses P needlessly. Either result is unsatisfactory to me, but perhaps I am excessively sensitive.

That is why I wish to be able to send private messages: to spare people unnecessary embarrasment.

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Microsoft and Open Source can play well together. Just look at how well Orca and penguins play together.

People have nothing to be ashamed of if they don't know to test RAM or to do something... nobody is born with the knowledge already in their head. And personally I'd never respond in a PM if the question is asked on the forum, I mean if you can't follow my instructions that I posted in forum why would you follow instructions that I send in PM...

Anyway the discussion is kind of useless since it's probably something that the forum software is lacking, no matter how much we prove there's a need for PMs (personally I don't think there's a need, I used PM 4-5 times and everytime it was with disastrous consequences) I doubt somebody will change the forum software only because of that.

BTW, If there's a need of realtime and personal chat I have this www.meebome.com stuff that I added in my sig (but I'm not online or signed in all the time).
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Check out MEPIS Wiki: www.mepis.org/docs

Chat with me.

I with you Adrian. I've never seen anyone on this forum get flamed for asking an honest question, reguardless of how simple some might think the solution is. That's one of the things that I love about Mepis.

I've been using Linux for about five years but I'm still very much a newbie because the forum for the other disto that I used scared me. One of the first posts that I read was someone asking how to change the backround on the screen, the reply that he got was 200+ words that basicly said that if he couldn't figure it out by himself then he was to stupid to use Linux and should just go back to windoze. Needless to say I never posted on that forum, If I couldn't get something to work I just went without.

Here I'm pretty sure that if I ask an honest question I'll get an honest answer that the rest of the newbies can learn from too.

Well ByCo, I'm known for some nasty responses over here and on Mepislovers but I usually reserve those for people with attitudes (not people lacking knowledge and asking for help).

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Check out MEPIS Wiki: www.mepis.org/docs

Chat with me.

With I'm sure good intentions you seem to have completely missed the point - this so typically happens in these forums & especially within the limits of texting & attitudes.

Why be so presumptuous & dismissive? - this is so typical of the attitude in here & another good reason for PM's.
It smacks so strongly of "there's my way or the highway".

Oh dear "It failed for me so it's disastrous" And who asked for the software to be changed? It is simply one of many options ( one that IS active in many other forums ) & all that was asked for was for it to be considered. Nobody asked you to use it. There seems to be an almost paranoid fear or something here that you might actually miss out on something that isn't intended for you anyway. WHY?

Mama Mia who said we want to speak to you alone.?
Did you not say contacts should be open for all?
Do you seriously expect that all of us put in all of our contact details?
Mine alone would fill a page.
In a PM these alternatives can be freely offered if the parties wish to engage in e.g.a voice contact where those "disasters" of yours might easily evaporate when actual speech is involved. Beyond Mepis I am frequently involved in assisting others & MANY times a few minutes of direct contact on voice has clarified persistent problems that remained unresolved in ongoing text exchanges.

Oh & on that subject - the suggestion of using voice & VOIP - i.e. using technology to help technology - was suggested & dismissed long ago - hence another option to help one another was stifled & we continue to cling here to stone age communication

I don't understand why you are so nasty with me, I just expressed my opinions. Yes, it would be nice to have PMs, I have that in MEPISlovers forums and those who want to use PMs are free to do so, those who don't want to don't have to.

BTW, you seem not to have problems to be condescending and dismissive in public.

PS. you could leave offline messages in that "meebo me" if you want, but that's not the main function of it, I use it for instant messaging which is useful when you troubleshoot something.
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Check out MEPIS Wiki: www.mepis.org/docs

Chat with me.

OK gang, it's my turn to chime in. I've been reading through this stuff for quite a few days now. Here's what I see as the overall summary of the issue at hand:
1) Some people want private messaging.
2) Some people don't want private messaging.
3) Some people think they need private messaging.
4) Some people think they don't need private messaging.
5) Mepis.org does not have private messaging

Now, this whole question of "off-line messaging" has been brought up a number of times on this forum. We even tried it in the past. I don't want to say it wasn't successful, rather, it didn't appear to be that USEFUL.

We DO have a mailto link to each of the moderators. This was put in place in order to support some form of off-line question/answer. Why do we not have it in place FOR EVERYONE? Because it would require that the mepis.org server become a email relay. There are enough security issues that a public forum has to deal with without adding security problems of relaying stuff back and forth.

Does drupal, the software that runs mepis.org, support some form of private messaging? I have no idea. I do not currently run drupal, so I won't presume to answer. Perhaps one of the admins of this site would care to tell us (mmelbert?)

What upsets me seagull, is that we DO have people here who are giving you reasons, opinions, ideas, both good and bad. The fact of the matter is private messaging does not currently exist on this site. And this has been stated a number of times. You don't like the fact that private messaging doesn't exist. That's what upsets me, that you then get so bloody emphatic about it. Believe me AdrianTM is not one to hold back his opinions (grin), but I think he's being quite reserved right now. So I would like to ask you to back off just a little.

I'm sorry, but stating what the current state of affairs is, and giving opinions of what we think will and won't work is not "insular and dismissive". You are just stepping on the line of being insulting. Please stop.

Oh, one thing you may not be aware of, neither AdrianTM nor I maintain this site. We are moderators, but the site is maintained by mmelbert and emelbert. And if there are questions of adding functionality they (and Warren) decide what's going to happen. I'm sure they have looked at this thread.

So I guess we are getting close to finishing this discussion, as I do not see much point in continuing. Does anyone have any last ideas or opinions before we lock this thread? I'll leave it open for a little while longer before we decide to close it...

Jon

Microsoft Windows Vista now on sale!
Buy now, Really Pay Later

First let me say that it was NOT my original intention to come in with a heavy hand - but frustration at the 'non answers' & more-so with the totally contradictory responses when feeling already "cut off" I found to be very irritating.

Jon, I have considerable respect for you from reading you over time but I must say that to open your remarks with the above 'emphatic' paragraph & then to criticise me for same lower down I find to be an insulting way to begin. Your last line would have been quite sufficient.

Sorry but I have never seen it.
Maybe at that time there was no use.
Pity this had not been pointed out at the very beginning when the simple question that initiated this saga was first posed.
I am nonetheless curious as to who it was decided that it wasn't 'that useful'

Once again unfortunately you seem to have missed the point.
We don't need a moderator - it was a means of being able to contact other USERS in private that we were seeking - PMs were brought up as was discretion - but any means to be able to email the other users would be handy - simple as that.

Its done elsewhere & seems no problem but it was irrelevant anyway for the reasons pointed out above.

Irrelevant - see above

Jon, I am open to any sensible responses & also healthy debate if warranted but contradictory remarks by the one individual I find to be both irritating & insulting.

Yes I do hear you Jon - you have already 'emphasized' this a number of times so far.
In fact to use your own words you have been "bloody emphatic"
But I am still listening & PLEASE don't take offence -seriously.

** Here you are essentially incorrect **
Whether PMs exist does not really concern me - it was only that it had been suggested & I felt it also a good way to initiate off forum contact whether email, voice or coffee. In other words a multifunctional means that should only see Mepis users gain by it.

So I've noticed - I will say no more than I do suspect a possible "closing of ranks irrespective of rights etc."
But OK.

I will not waste my time responding to this.

I am the one who feels insulted as I have explained - but perhaps we can just agree to differ here? I'm not looking to prolong this pitiful saga any longer than necessary.

Hopefully we also covered this earlier too.

I would like to think that this has perhaps shed a little more light on this painful episode & at least clarified some issues.
I am a little saddened at the fact that virtually nowhere if anywhere was any mention made of the positive aspects that were also posted earlier in this saga.

Sadly text is a poor substitute for voice or better still - face to face conversation & healthy discussion.

Meanwhile to all if I may indulge for just one moment - "By all means please use, enjoy, share, & promote Mepis - but please also never forget that there is life outside of Mepis"

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