I think filtering New Posts is pretty close to one-size-fits all, assuming different people can set up different filtering rules. But, a problem: should applications have separate threads for different devices? For example, Tear and gPodder are presumably going to have similar functionality in Fremantle vs. Diablo (vs. Mer we hope). But they will presumably have different interfaces and different installation/troubleshooting issues. Either way has flaws: noise or duplicated info.

I agree on filtering, if it can be done.

I feel strongly that apps should have separate threads based on platform. I don't want to be using Diablo and find myself reading things that apply only to Fremantle (especially when I can't determine if what I'm reading is specific only to Fremantle!). If, say, Bundyo adds a feature for tear, I believe he would have to add it separately for each platform anyway. I'd be interested to see if Bundyo, thp, and other bi-platform developers have a problem with separating threads by platform. To me, it makes sense.

Grouping for now seems simple:

1. N900
2. 770, N800, N810
3. Future

Why complicate it?

Gerald,

What about my previous example that when the N810 was the new item.. the N770 still had not caught up to it. Thus, the structure back then would have looked like:
N810/N800
N770
Future

But because of developments on this site and at Nokia the 770 became capable of running anything (mostly) that the N8x0 could. I believe there are still minor gaps that the 770 is incapable of doing, however I don't have exact references just memory. So then we would have re-org'd again since the 770 and 8x0 aren't so different anymore.

So what happens if it comes that Mer becomes a decent alternative to Maemo 5 for the N8x0? Or something else develops that allows N8x0 users to now keep up with the N900??? Should we re-org, yet again?

I think the more feasible solution is operating system, and not platform, based... or Texrat's debian/linux style of "stable, unstable, testing"/"legacy","current","future". That is more maintainable over the various changes that can happen on a dynamic and fluid environment such as this where god only knows where are our devices will be tomorrow.. let alone next year, or by the time the next N9xx is released.

It does create a more constant workload on forum administrators to be moving threads between the various sections as they become outdated or "legacy" as new projects are released... but seems easier than a complete re-org of all categories and everything every time a new device hits the market.

We need to be thinking not just right now.. but 10 years from now. What solution offers the best and easiest adaptable layout for long-term implementation?

I guess I need to make sure I'm following Texrat correctly. Texrat (in Post #70) is introducing an additional layer of categorization, no? The arrangement for the currently existing platforms and devices would be

Category Old Legacy
Sub-Categories: 770; and with his definition, maybe N800?

Category Recent Legacy:
Sub-Categories: N810 (including WiMax), and N800 if it isn't in the above category?

Category Current
Sub-Category: N900

Category Future
Sub-Category: Anything else people want to speculate on?

Even in Texrat's arrangement, I'm not sure where Mer goes. All that makes his better is if you can move Sub-Categories among the Categories. Actually, I'm not even sure where his Categories go in the big scheme. Is there, for example, an Old Legacy category under Games and another Old Legacy category under Applications?

It seems easier to do it all in terms of OS version. So why not just have Chinook/Diablo, Fremantle, Harmattan as sub-categories of the Software categories (which is all I'm talking about). When Harmattan-Successor comes out, just add on another heading and leave the others alone. Yes, if we had started this way a year ago, there might have been a distinction between Chinook and Diablo. Fine.

As for Mer under the above OS-based categorization for Software, I don't think it needs to be in there at all. If I understand correctly, once Mer is running as intended, it will just run Fremantle software as is, no? So there is no need for a Mer category under Software; Fremantle is sufficient. Mer eventually will be fine as a subcategory of OS/Platform (where it's currently squished into Alternatives).

So, divide Software categories by platform, and have a checkmark-type filter.

Or for another approach, just divide up the Software Category exactly how the OS/Platform category is divided up. In my opinion it's of trivial importance to have Games and Apps and Design and Multimedia separated compared to the importance of separating platforms within Software. Ideally, we could separate by both type (e.g., Games vs. Apps) and platform, but if we get only one, I think Platform is far more important.

None of this means anything until we get some feedback on willingness and feasibility from Reggie. Reggie?

Again: the problem is 3-dimensional. It will not be 100% addressed by any 2-dimensional solution.

And Mer is an OS, not a device. My example was solely device specific and not meant to be read as the ultimate solution, but rather a possible part of a solution.

Glad to see a logical discussion coming out of this though.

I still don't see the need to use devices as a categorization at all since there are so many different operating systems for the 770, 800 and 810 that you can't just really make a category for the "N810" as heaven knows what an individual might have on it. I suspect the N900 will eventually be this way as well.

My thoughts on the organization would be not to have 2 legacy.. just one:

Legacy:
2006, 2008-Chinook

Current:
Fremantle, 2008-Diablo

Future:
Mer, Maemo 6

Remove the devices completely (Diablo may need to be under legacy, but as Diablo is the "current" N8x0 release, and to be the last if I'm not mistaken, it may be a "Legacy" item)... eventually someone somewhere could very likely port one OS to another device and to add devices just makes it more confusing. There could be a normal FAQ or Help file (wiki?) somewhere for complete noobies that just came to this site with their recently bought N810 off ebay on "How to determine your OS" or "Version" to see which category they need to be looking in.

When Mer becomes stable and a Fremantle side-by then it would be moved and merged with Fremantle in the "Current". When Maemo 6 goes live Fremantle/Mer would then move to Legacy and Maemo 6 into Current.

It actually emulates exactly how repo's are managed for any Deb/RPM based system. Unfortunately, this still requires a whole lot of re-organization every time a new project becomes "stable" replacing the old project.. whether that new project is the N910, Mer, or just an Early build of Maemo 6 that runs on the N900, whatever... it requires a "mini-reorg" so to speak of moving categories around. Legacy becomes something of a "trash" bin for the older projects/software for a specific amount of time (that will have to be determined) before that category is removed and people still running 2006 are SOL .

However, it does provide an exact look at the "state of things" as it is right now. People pull up the forum index and immediately see "These OS's are the Current, these are outdated, and these are in testing". Now, if you're running an N810 you'll stay away from the Fremantle areas for now; but that won't necessarily always be the case. You'll spend your time in Mer or Diablo. Once Mer becomes viable then Mer and Fremantle would, in theory, become joined and then all these N900 threads your dismissing currently would become relevant to you. (well not really, as hopefully by then the problems of today will be solved, replaced by the new problems *cough* features *cough* of the fixes that are applied for the problems of today.)

Either way, if we break it up by a device at all it adds confusion. The N7/8x0 were such geeks devices that nearly no two are identical anymore... the only thing that can be somewhat related from one to the other is the operating system which it runs.. and that's entirely platform independent.

Please excuse the rambled mess.. I personally haven't thought an entire layout or design through completely in my head yet I'm just throwing out possibilities or problems I foresee.

I used to come to the forums twice a day, maybe more often, to click the "new posts" and see what was what. When the n900 news started to become real I visited more often to keep track, but then the forum degenerated into iphone-vs-nokia flames, wailings and moanings about deliveries and the endless speculation. Luckily this latter phase has begun to die out,

However, I think this cured me of my ITT (or is it TMO) forum "addiction"... I now only visit a couple of times a week, sometimes just once and when I click the "new posts" it takes a lot of effort to find something technically interesting. Mostly, I find I get more out of the planet maemo blog RSS feed, as interesting stuff percolates back to the top.

I was actually wondering if I was being a snob in thinking that this forum desperately needs moderation, or at least control over who can create new threads to try and improve the quality and reduce the noise.

If things don't actually get any better, and deteriorate to being no better than gsmarena, I will probably stop coming back.

I still use my n800 as much as ever. I don't know if/when I will buy an n900. Part of the appeal of the n810 and predecessors was the community, but now I'm sorry to say it's more of a rabble or mob.

OTOH, for a community to be successful, it needs new blood and new life. The Zaurus forums at oesf.org have been slowly dying for quite a while - lack of new devices for sale, and boredom and apathy amongst the users. There's a balance to be struck and I think this forum was once excellent, and I hope it will be again.

I would limit device forum topics to pure hardware.

A way to tell easily if there have been new posts in a thread you have posted in (without having to go back to the thread( would be nice.

I think fatalsaint and I may have a semantic problem. When I say Platform, I guess I really mean OS.

To lump together Diablo and Fremantle (as "Current") completely defeats the point of a re-design. Read this thread (posts 1 through 4, in order) to see my point! Besides, it wouldn't filter out all the stuff that I (and some other non-N900 owners) don't want to wade through.

Why not just put all software posts under their respective OS??? That plus add filtering check boxes for, for example, New Posts. That's all I think most people are asking for.