Adopt forum software that allows posting/reading from NNTP

Rich DeRuiter
Rich DeRuiter MVP Posts: 6,729
edited December 2024 in English Forum

I've been looking around the internet (there sure is a lot of stuff there), and I stumbled across a few sites that use a web based forum that can also be read from/posted to via NNTP.The web-based part of the structure looked appealing (I can't speak to the NNTP part, since I didn't bother subscribing -- but NNTP is a pretty straightforward protocol).

Has Logos considered that option?

If not, would Logos please consider that option?

This would seem to give us the best of both worlds.

 Help links: WIKI;  Logos 6 FAQ. (Phil. 2:14, NIV)

Comments

  • Simon’s Brother
    Simon’s Brother Member Posts: 6,831 ✭✭✭

    Sounds like a good idea Rich.  It gets my vote.

  • Donovan R. Palmer
    Donovan R. Palmer Member, MVP Posts: 2,929

    I've been looking around the internet (there sure is a lot of stuff there), and I stumbled across a few sites that use a web based forum that can also be read from/posted to via NNTP.The web-based part of the structure looked appealing (I can't speak to the NNTP part, since I didn't bother subscribing -- but NNTP is a pretty straightforward protocol).

    I suggested this some time back because I knew that it was inevitable that we would eventually have to go web based.  The reality is that the vast majority of internet users never have and never will learn how to use an NNTP reader.  However, there are a number of solutions, Lyris being one of them, that will allow both.  If Logos considered this option or not, I am not sure... but it sure would make sense because NNTP is still one of the best ways to run a discussion group.

  • TCBlack
    TCBlack Member Posts: 10,980 ✭✭✭

    I'm having a hard time figuring out which forum software this is.  There might be baked in functionality for this already (or not). 

    Hmm Sarcasm is my love language. Obviously I love you. 

  • Ralph Mauch
    Ralph Mauch Member Posts: 373 ✭✭

    Trying out the quick reply feature on the bottom of  your post. I have played around with my Google Reader, which allows me to view the RSS Feed somewhat differently and gives me options for marking items I've read, and ones that I want to keep as unread.

    I'm with you, there has to be options that make this work more "newsgroup" friendly to us guys that have been accustomed to that format.[;)]

    Blessings,

    Ralph

  • Bob Pritchett
    Bob Pritchett Member, Logos Employee Posts: 2,280

    That was our goal, and we thought this software would do it. But we had problems getting it to work (it worked one way, but didn't put posts back, or something like that). 

    Our other constraint was the desire to have a single account at Logos.com, so you didn't have to make a new one in order to participate in the forums; this was one of the few solutions that supported that.

    We're not done tweaking, though, and your feedback is a great help!

    -- Bob

  • David Wilson
    David Wilson Member Posts: 1,238 ✭✭✭

    Thanks for the tweaking - already seeing some noticeable improvements !!
    (default to NOT email all responses for example !!)

    DaveJ

  • TCBlack
    TCBlack Member Posts: 10,980 ✭✭✭
    FWIW I would suggest spending some time with PHPbb. I'm not suggesting you switch to it (well, yes I am) but that you get out there and play with other forum software, the Telligent Community Server (http://communityserver.com/) forums don't work the same way as many others; and that is a problem because we expect certain things to act a certain way in a forum, because most forums have already found what works.

    One major need you're going to have to address in order to make the switch from NewsGroups to Forums less painful: There's no option for threading as there is in many forum software packages. After using the NG's for years we're just plain used to threaded views. I realize all of the reasons for the change, and I actually do support the move, but finding a check box somewhere to enable/disable threaded views goes a long way.

    Open up the restrictions on the signatures a bit. Apparently right now it's limited to a single hyperlink. Look around some forums you'll find that key users insert up to a half dozen links in their sigs to relevant posts and so forth.

    Right now I notice that the "Posts you have not read" link will show me the posts I've not read but they don't jump to the spot where I last finished reading. In other words with a 50 thread post it appears that I'll have to start again at the top and try to remember which one's I've already read and navigate to it. I should be able to click a link and jump to post #47 because I've already read the first 46.

    I do appreciate that it's a single log-in with the Logos website, that's a bonus to be certain.

    Hmm Sarcasm is my love language. Obviously I love you. 

  • Michael Hatcher
    Michael Hatcher Member Posts: 167 ✭✭

    Right now I notice that the "Posts you have not read" link will show me the posts I've not read but they don't jump to the spot where I last finished reading. In other words with a 50 thread post it appears that I'll have to start again at the top and try to remember which one's I've already read and navigate to it. I should be able to click a link and jump to post #47 because I've already read the first 46.

     

    This is my major complaint concerning the forums at this point in time. I am glad we are moving to the forums instead of the newsgroup (unlike many, but to each their own), but there needs to be a way for us to jump to the post which we have not read in a multiple thread topic. Otherwise, I have been happy with the new forums.

    Michael Hatcher

    visit: www.bellviewcoc.com

    iMac 2.8 GHz i7 quad core, 8 GB Ram, 1 TB HD

  • Andrew Nugteren
    Andrew Nugteren Member Posts: 38 ✭✭

    I agree with Thomas and Michael.  We've got to have an easy way to jump to the new posts that we individually have not read in a thread.

    I recommend PHPbb... one of my favourite forums uses that software, and it's vastly superior to what we are using here at the moment.  Would also address the point above.

  • J.R. Miller
    J.R. Miller Member Posts: 3,566 ✭✭✭

    thanks for making the new forums available Bob!

    My Books in Logos & FREE Training

  • Dave Hooton
    Dave Hooton MVP Posts: 36,343

    I recommend PHPbb... one of my favourite forums uses that software, and it's vastly superior to what we are using here at the moment.  Would also address the point above.

    I don't particularly like web forums, but I've used a few (at least 7) out of necessity and this one has some advantages - perhaps because I've taken the time to experiment and find out how to create download links for files, insert media and Edit my replies/posts. I've listed some "needs" elsewhere, but they don't require a change of software -  this one has a better response time than the others.

    I agree that jumping to posts "not read" should do exactly that! I'd also like to see navigation aids at the TOP of the page i.e. Previous/Next 1 2 3 4. If we can't get a direct jump this will at least get us quickly to the last page (you could have posts in descending order but that ruins the reading/sense of the thread).

    Dave
    ===

    Windows 11 & Android 13

  • Nathan Parker
    Nathan Parker Member Posts: 1,755 ✭✭✭

    As for what Tom said, I to couldn't figure out what forum software you're using. And I agree with him that PHPBB is pretty great. Another good setup is NING. You can easily integrate the blogs and forums together, as well as share media. We've just switched to it and really like the setup. 

    As for what Bob said, seems he's been spending a little time reading the My Mallard page on our website. [;)] Instead are we looking at My Logos? 

    Anyway, I love the forum idea, and how Logos improves or builds on this is certainly going to be wonderful.

    Thanks!

    Nathan Parker

    Mallard's CEO

    Nathan Parker

    Visit my blog at http://focusingonthemarkministries.com

  • Phil Gons (Logos)
    Phil Gons (Logos) Administrator, Logos Employee Posts: 3,803

    We've got to have an easy way to jump to the new posts that we individually have not read in a thread.

    This was working before, but somehow stopped. We'll get it working again as soon as possible.

  • Dave Hooton
    Dave Hooton MVP Posts: 36,343

    Phil Gons said:

    This was working before, but somehow stopped. We'll get it working again as soon as possible.

    It seems to be working now as it jumps to the *latest* unread post on the page where there may be several prior ones. I'm not sure if it jumps to the bottom of the last page because I sort posts in ascending order by date, so it would be interesting to know what happens if people sort in Descending order (latest at the top of the first page)!

    Dave
    ===

    Windows 11 & Android 13