I really don't get this debate, and the related animosity. This very issue has been solved ages ago (end of the last century/millenium...) on good old Usenet, with automated, two-way gateways between newsgroups and mailing lists.

This way everyone uses their preferred media and tool, but there is still only one debate in one place with the entire community.

Has this not been discussed here before ? Is it impossible to with forums in 2010 what was common thirty years ago ?...