Re: [OT] FileMaker Pro - best mailing list? [PART 01 of 02]
Re: [OT] FileMaker Pro - best mailing list? [PART 01 of 02]
- Subject: Re: [OT] FileMaker Pro - best mailing list? [PART 01 of 02]
- From: Gary Lists <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 01 Jul 2003 20:37:23 -0400
My first reply was 25 bytes over the limit (yikes) so I am re-posting in two
parts.
On or about 7/1/03 12:39 PM, Bill Briggs wrote:
>
I know there are some high end FileMaker Pro people who hang out
>
here. I want to join one or two FileMaker Pro lists, but it would
>
appear that there is a plethora, so I'm wondering if the voice of
>
experience can recommend the better of the lot from those listed
>
below (the list was taken from the FileMaker web site support
>
section).
>
>
TIA
>
>
- web
Not that I match your declared audience, except maybe the hang out part, but
I am (or have been) a participant on some of these lists/forums, so I'll
offer my observations.
This was a thought-provoking question, Bill. It made me consider more
closely what I find important in my "mailing list habits". I suppose there
is some degree of "listasis" which sets in, keeping one firmly rooted even
as need or skill level changes. Familiar technologies and names (making it
easier to quickly evaluate sources and suggestions), and perhaps a gradual
narrowing of 'technics' which might result from "listasis" all seem
interesting issues.
And, stating the obvious, reasons for joining must matter: first learning,
deeper learning and applicability, shared community with colleagues or
offering guidance to come-alongs.
So, FWIW... (omitting those with which I have no experience, and hoping to
hell that I don't stir a hornet's nest)...
>
FileMaker Email Lists
>
Dartmouth University
The granddaddy, if you will. The main hang, I would say. Extremely nice
regulars, a gracious host (both Jim Fortiers as well as Dartmouth), straight
ahead Majordomo, so no web BB to contend with, well-known commands to
control mail flow (digest, nomail, header control, and all the regular.) I
prefer plain vanilla lists, without yoohoodlum ads and such, so this is
quite appealing to me on that point alone. However, I do believe this is to
FileMaker what AppleScript-Users is to AppleScript. It's where the
experience is. There are not, unfortunately, any lists that have any level
of participation from anyone at FileMaker. That is the most closed eared
company that I know.
[An annoying trend in this list, IMO, is the steady increase in [ANN]
postings by a handful of otherwise non-participants. It's a pet peeve of
mine, shared recently by a few others, but also flame-provoking. The list
founder, Jim Fortiers, just a week ago wrote (I am paraphrasing): that it
has been a struggle for 4 or 5 years, and one that he is not progressing on.
It _is_ valuable to be able to know what's out there if one is a for-hire
developer or contractor, but then again, many folks are on multiple lists,
and so end up with 3 or 4 copies of the same post, for every such post made.
One strong argument (and I use that term loosely, as it is usually made with
plenty of venom and cursing) is this: email clients can filter on the
required [ANN] in the subject, so shut up (Gary). My complaint is that I
should not have to pay, in bandwidth or time, even to filter umpteen
list-stuffing messages. Especially given that the list's guidelines
<
http://40ers.com> provide for "short, one or two sentence notices" with a
URL for more information, but this is seldom observed by the persistent
marketers. It is one of those well-known patterns of list abuses that
somehow can keep recycling themselves with little progress. I filter, and I
moan. :) ]
>
FM Forums
More new users than pros, web-only (and a bit slow) interface; another
password to worry with every time. Although, there are some niceties (I like
the recent and emerging popularity of 'shout boxes' for rapid-fire sharing
and generally non-complex 'community building' through dialogue, both
immediately on-topic, and sometimes slightly off-topic.
>
FMAnnounce
Less an interactive discussion or mail list than a place to post and read
advertising and marketing materials. I do check in here occasionally, but
mostly if I have a very specific need to fill and want to see what
commercial solutions are available.
>
FMPexperts
Also Majordomo ... a mailing list ... with the benefits of that kind of
tool. The archive lags one month behind, but the fact that there is an
archive is great. This list shares the most crossover of members, I think
(not really counting), with the Dartmouth list. That may or may not matter
to you.
If you were to apply the notion of standard deviation to a measure of the
skill-level deviation among all members of a list, I think you find that
this list has a lower S-LD than the Dartmouth list. In case I didn't
conceptualize that properly, I mean that Dartmouth has a wider range of user
skill-level than this list. I think it is worthwhile (for myself) to
monitor both of these lists before all others, and to turn to either of them
to reach about the same expected crowd of trusted mentors and peers.
This list is privately maintained, and therefore some of the "checks" that
may or may not exist because one is Dartmouth and the other is not may be of
interest to a subscriber. (I mean: persistence of presence, privacy issues
and the like. Also, from the U.S., this host is 'half way around the world'
and so if timely response during certain hours is important, then that
should be considered to some degree.)
This list, like the Dartmouth list, has an archive, which is nice. It is
often one month behind, as it uses freeware indexing services from Atomz.
For example, there are no June posts in the archive as of today (01 July).
>
Troi FileMaker Plug-in Talk
Great folks. Generally specific to their products, both free and commercial.
If you plan to use these tools in any distributed or in-house project, you
can always get direct-from-the-farm info here. (Cool tools, BTW.)
>
email@hidden
ISO-hosted; ISO is one of the long-time innovators in commercial FM tools,
as well as a history of finely produced free tip-files. In fact, IIRC, FM 6
installation integrates some show-off tools created by these folks. The
list discussion itself may be less impressive in its diversity than the
Dartmouth list, but the input is solid.
[CONTINUED...]
--
Gary
_______________________________________________
applescript-users mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives:
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/applescript-users
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.