Where has everyone gone??

Richard Porter realised it was Mon, 05 Feb 2007 21:25:18 GMT and decided it was time to write:

I only take my daily car to a garage, as it has twelve computers in it and I don't have the tools nor the expertise to diagnose and fix problems, which are always of an electronic nature. Luckily, I can trust this garage. They know that if they screw me, they will lose the other jobs I can't do myself: my classic's annual MOT's. They like doing those too much, especially the TR3. :-)

The last time I allowed a garage to work on one of my classics, I found myself without brakes the next day. Since then, I do everything myself. Of course, I'm only in my forties, a child to some here, so it's easy for me.

And in a way, being flamed is a sign you've hit a nerve... Compared with my job, most of these muppets are amateurs (I'm a schoolteacher!)

I had some really useful advice here when I first started classic restos. I've built on that through experience. I still rarely find a forum that can tell me more than a newsgroup.

Add a lurker!

>

At least they are both still actively being developed.

Stephen.

I've suggested friends and family who email me in HTML to alter these setting in OE, (its not rocket science) though it is a pity that the larger conglomerates don't do the same, update reports from Kodak, BT, Banks, catalogues etc, etc all send in HTML and leave no return address.

Stephen.

[snip]

I knew Dave uses Pluto, but I'd not noticed your headers though. A very surprising RISC OS percentage really in such a small thread.

Stephen.

and now there's three ;)

Stephen.

[snip]

Oops, four!

Stephen.

Usenet is dying. There is hardly a newsgroup I read which has anything like the posting rate of five years ago.

For this group, have a look at the google statistics page, which is at

2000 - 2002 were the peak years with a steady fall off every since: in 2001 there were an average of 1011 posts per month, but in 2006 it was down to 291. And that despite a vast increase in the number of people with net access over these years.

Ian

Thanks for the evidence, as many have said and some won't accept... Newsgroups are dead and forums are the way forward.

Maybe you are right, but the general quality of postings to this thread has been of a high standard. Does that mean that the mentally and socially challenged have migrated to your forums and left this group for the rest of us to learn from and entertain ourselves?

Ron Robinson

I used to enjoy RISC OS too when it was compatible with what I was using at work. Unfortunately that was ten years ago (at which time it was light years ahead of Windoze). My surviving Acorn RiscPC 600 was in the shed when it went up in flames last summer!

Correction - forums are _an alternative_. The description "forward" is very debatable.

Most forums allow people to read the content before registering, yours however does not, you have to register first just to read it.

Think I'll stick with the newsgroups thank you.

Stephen.

I have a new home built near state of the art PC which I can switch to at the press of a button - shares monitor mouse and keyboard as well as peripherals. The RPC is kept for Draw, word processing and news/email.

Stephen Hull realised it was Tue, 06 Feb 2007 10:55:54 GMT and decided it was time to write:

Ha! Commoners.

I suppose being a Teacher of the Acorn era would make you very familiar to RISC OS. I've gone down the virtual Acorn route, but still prefer RISC OS for most computer activities except certain browsing experiences.

My old Risc PC is stuffed under the bed.

Stephen.

Hello Stephen,

I used to design databases on RISC minicomputers about 15 years ago - way ahead of the game then (anyone else remember the horrors of Windows

3.1 and early versions of Windows NT?). Unfortunately these days a lot of useful software (e.g. Photoshop Elements) will only run on current versions of Windows. I find newsgroups very helpful and comparatively free of commercial pressures, unlike many forums. Just to add to my grumpy old man hates - smileys and the newsgroup rage that comparative anonymity seems to make respectable. Oh, and Incredimail - if your message is worthwhile it doesn't need tarting up. Regards to all, Richard Living life in the slow lane with a 1935 Rover 12.

Did that come out of the Ark?