See, that's what I hate about web fora - you can go and change your posts, so the answers to those posts might seem off a bit after that

Another thing about unfriendliness: Just because people post terse and to the point without much ado around it, doesn' t mean that they are unfriendly.

I don't think things around here need to be 'fixed'. Been through this kinda situation before when waiting for the first G1s w/Android to be shipped.

IMHO what's happening is a lot of posting by users, both new (like me) and old, gettin' bored from running out of things to discuss and speculate about because they're collectively going slightly crazy waiting for the N900 to actually get in their hands and settle some of these endless arguments.

Once the N900 arrives the tension of the wait will be released and everyone will get busy figuring out how to use them, helping each other with tips, etc. and we'll all be friends again...

New user here and it seems fairly user friendly to me. Like myself it seems to have a fairly low tolerance for idiots, but that's just natural selection trying to rid the world of *****s. A good thing in my opinion.

If you cant figure out how to use a search button on a forum, perhaps you should not be looking at getting a cell phone and maybe we should hide the sharp things in your house

Congrats. I remember when I welcomed you to the forum -- doesn't seem that long ago, certainly not long enough to get 1000 posts.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: get a job!

In this economy, I might have to give you a big break

I'm just glad I'm starting college now and not finishing

Just the other day I was monitoring a thread, trying to learn and imagine from a members code sample (I do not have the SDK installed) when BAM, the next post is a cut and paste cross post pointing to another members Brainstorm. It came crashing through and just laid there all hot and steamy disrupting the continuity of the thread.

I responded in that thread that it was off topic but I didn't realize it was a cross post until I went out into the main page of the forum and found that just about every thread in the active topic bar was one that the same, out of context Brainstorm pointer had just been posted in. In a subsequent forum thread that was authored by the producer of this advertised brainstorm I asked; why cross post and thread crap in active threads?

Cross posting is unproductive and considered rude by some, the reply I received was that cross posting was necessary because nothing was getting done and that the author represented a group of people who wanted an answer now. < (paraphrase, but the actual conversation is recorded in that thread).

I replied that the end does not justify the means, to which he replied that this place wasn't very user friendly along with a statement that I hadn't helped him in the past, as if he had asked (he hadn't) and I refused.

Now I see this thread and I am confused?

Internet Tablet Talk and now talk.maemo.org are about the friendliest tech forums I have encountered. There generally seems to be a balance of contributors that step in to help, or steer threads away from the rocks and shoals that all threads on every forum must navigate. I have been short with my answers at times but when I am, someone will point it out and I will acknowledge it and apologize for it. I can honestly say that I have never seen where another member hasn't done the same when given input from another member.

However, we all have operated under a common code of conduct that hadn't needed to be expressly presented as "Rules".

Perhaps now might be the time to revisit this thing called "rules" starting with cross posting and thread crapping. Since this conversation was avoided in the normal course of that thread and it has now morphed into a defense of our "user friendly" status. I fear that cross posting and thread crapping will become acceptable and a member’s ability to follow a developing idea in an individual thread will be lost. I can only speak for myself but if this does become the norm, this forum will become useless to me as a learning environment.

Another item that could be addressed is links to commercial sites in signatures. What I see now are mostly small and tasteful but where do we draw the line?

Can I advertise my brother-in-laws insurance agency? How about porn sites? How come he can and I can’t? Can I just post a coupon code so that I get a discount?

These are all user friendly questions that will be coming with increased membership.

Now before anybody comes at me (with or without wood). I like the fact that we are not overly moderated and do not need to post stickies at the top of each forum with rules. I want to keep it this way but not at the cost of usefulness.

We have demonstrated our user-friendliness in the past and we either accept who we are, and be dang proud of it... or; allow others to incorrectly stereotype us as a cliché that needs defending.

Irony?

I have been here only few days and already I know what you are talking about. I might be totally wrong about what you are referring to, but I don't think I am. There are people who think that if they don't get participation or immediate support to their cause, the other people are being rude or unfriendly.

Seldom have I thought with valid reasons that not doing something is actually unfriendly or rude. One can never know the reasons behind one's actions when there is none, but it is way easier to see rude or unfriendly behaviour when such actually does occur. Lack of something, in my opinion cannot be defined rude nor unfriendly. Rude and/or unfriendly, by definition in my books, calls for active participation with aforementioned attitude.

So, to all of you out there thinking t.m.o is unfriendly, think again. It might just be your expected standards that define what is what, not the forum in question.

Guys, what range is saying here is subtly profound.

Technically-oriented people really do speak a different dialect than others, and this tendency even cuts across languages and cultures.

In addition, we tend to be efficient to a fault when it comes to sharing of information, and that works against newcomers, especially those lacking a highly technical background.

But all is not lost, for at least one person has taken it upon himself to smooth the entry into this crazy place: Den in USA. He is tirelessly and dependably greeting newcomers in a warm, basic manner that the rest of us could learn from.

I am with Quim: I think improvement is coming organically, and it will be led by people like Den in USA. Given the new direction of the products, change is going to be a necessity.

I really think that we need to get the FAQ in the Wiki as robust and up-to-date as possible, then you can link to that when someone asks a common question.

I believe it would be wise to create a 'How to' section and move all content for new users and also slightly more advance users like myself in that section (no gainroots though). The wiki as such is confusing and often too complex for non technical users. Maybe some parts could be reorganized and moved to a HowTo section. Other content like tutorial videos etc. can be posted there. The better the information is organized and easily accessible to a wider public, the least newbie questions will be posted.

Recent newcomers are not, in my opinion, representative of the average customer of Vodafone in the UK who will get there N900 (apparently) for free. They are like early birds who do some research, read specifications and possibly manuals, are curious about technology and its use in their life, and have at least basic knowledge of some vocabulary. At least in English. Think of those who aren't even fluent in English...

Also one should keep in mind that new customers who will access the site will be more interested in getting information on the N900 and might be a little lost in he plethora of posts and articles about other devices.

But as in any kind of dynamic and flexible context change will come on us from the influx of new users and other sites and fora will pop up to offer more easily accessible information. And we will all be happy, and I hope also those who maybe bought something they didn't really understand or are prepared to handle. However this should not exempt us to be welcoming to new users in the DenInUsa style pointed earlier by Texrat.

It's 5.30... I was able to read and follow this thread after my 3 years old daughter woke me up to sneak into our bed (as usual) more than a while ago. :-)