Subject: Re: PWG> Anyone interested in examining Alta-Vista?

From: Tom Hastings <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 11:41:55 PDT

The advantages of this tool, is that it has threads of dicussion.

Each thread is introduced as a new topic and the responses are replies
to that thread.  Anyone can introduce a new topic.
Also each reply can have its own subject, not just
a "RE - xxx" so the gist of the response can be include in the subject.
There can be state associated with a thread, such as open, closed, etc.
that the moderators can assign. Typically a thread is an issue in the
spec or design.  Finally, the monderator can declare that a topic (issue)
is closed.

The volume of mail on IPP is too much for mail readers to help organize, at
least the ones I'm familar with, such as Eudora.

Those who prefer can get all resonses as e-mail or only responses to 
certain topics as e-mail.

Does this help why Alta-Vista Forum would help?

Anyone who want to, please point your web browser and login as me.

It should take less than five minutes to get a rough idea of what it is
like.

Thanks,
Tom

At 14:30 04/24/97 PDT, Keith Moore wrote:
>> Tom Hastings has been working hard to locate a tool that can potentially
>> simplify reading and posting messages to various discussion lists.
>
>I guess I don't understand why this is needed.  
>
>Would somebody please explain to me (perhaps in private mail) what's
>to be gained by using such a tool?  It doesn't appear to me to offer
>much functionality over email, and email is surely a lot more tolerant
>of network outages/delays.  But it's possible that your email readers
>are a lot less capable than the ones I'm accustomed to.
>
>Keith
>
>
>
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