Forums reorganization

[xenopeek]

Howdy folks. If you frequent these forums you will have noticed over the past two days there has been some reorganization. Below an overview of the changes done and being considered. The forums organization was showing its age with some forums having lost their purpose or having become less effective.

There may be some more changes. I'll update here if those happen. We're hoping these changes make the forums more effective and easier to navigate.

1 - Main Edition Support

1. Newbie Questions renamed to Beginner Questions. Changed the forum description to make more clear this is for quick to answer questions.
2. Virtualization subforum renamed to Virtual Machines and moved out of the Software & Applications forum.
3. Networking subforums collapsed into the Networking forum; we think the subdivision didn't help much.
4. The KDE and Others forums under Desktops & Window Managers were removed (topics moved into Software & Applications). While some users still want to run KDE, and that's fine, over the past 12 months there were just 5 topics here. The Others forum had become to be mostly about things other than other desktop & window managers.

2 - Debian Edition Support
Rename of Newbie Questions forum was also done here.

3 - Interests
This is a new forums section. The Gaming forum from the Chat forums and the Scripts & Bash forum from the Personalize and Customize Linux Mint were moved here. The Community Projects forum from the Development forums was broadened in purpose and renamed to Programming & Development and moved here. Its purpose is now for general programming topics and for getting involved with Linux Mint development.

4 - Customization (renamed from Personalize and Customize Linux Mint)

1. Screenshots forum was moved out of the Themes, Icons & Wallpaper forum.
2. Artwork forum from the Development forums was renamed to Your Artwork and moved here.

5 - Chat

1. About Mint Editions subforum was merged into the Chat about Linux Mint forum.
2. Suggestions & New Ideas forum and Promotion forum from the Development forums were merged into the Suggestions & Feedback forum and moved here. Broadened in purpose to be about giving suggestions and feedback on Linux Mint and the forums. Feature requests for Linux Mint developed software are best made on GitHub, I added a sticky topic to clarify that.

6 - International (renamed from Languages)

1. Translations forum from the Development forums was moved here.
2. Dutch, Finnish, Portuguese and Russian were originally subforums under Other Languages but are now full forums.
3. Due to very low activity and very few replies on topics the Norwegian and Polish subforums have been removed. I'm sorry to those that did make use of these.
4. All the forums have an updated and localized description. (If anybody spots a translation mistake please PM me.)
5. With the Other Languages forum no longer having any subforums it is repurposed and now links to the list of local communities on the main website. Those that don't speak English well or any of the languages listed here can hopefully find a local community where they can speak their language to get help with Linux Mint.

With all the forums under the Development forums having been moved elsewhere, the Development forums were removed.

7 - We're considering what would be most efficient for the Hardware Support forums under Main Edition Support. Currently this is subdivided into subforums (and sound hardware problems end up under Sound, Multimedia, & Codecs). Should we keep it like that? Collapse it like was done for the Networking subforums. Or promote Hardware Support to a top level forums, next after Main Edition Support, with the subforums being more clearly navigatable as forums there.

8 - Similarly considering what would be most efficient for the Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce subforums under Desktops & Window Managers. I have the impression "desktops & window managers" is Linux technobabble for many new users but at the same time having a place to ask for help with configuring or problems specifically about the the desktop manager one is using can be useful. Should we rename them to Cinnamon Desktop, MATE Desktop and Xfce Desktop and moved them one level up to be forums directly in Main Edition Support?

Feedback and thoughts are welcome. Here or you can PM me, as several members have already done (thanks!). About the changes done, about the changes we're considering or about forums I didn't touch upon in above.

[rene]

Thank you; most everything is looking to be an improvement as far as I'm concerned.

As to "Hardware" I actually think it makes great sense to make that its own section, i.e., move it out of "main edition support" because most of it is going to be Ubuntu/Debian-base agnostic anyway. At that point there would be several forums under it, certainly "Graphics Cards & Monitors", "Printers and Scanners", rename "Mounting Partitions" to "HDDs, SSDs and other storage" or some such (what does "Mounting Partitions" have to do with hardware?) and adding a "Sound" category, after which "Sound, Multimedia & Codecs" can be renamed "Multimedia & Codecs".

As to the desktops, given that there are in fact three different editions of Mint I feel that while they could indeed conceivably exist directly under MAIN you elsewhere made the remark that you might then need to guard against new users posting Mint- or even Linux-generic questions there just because they are running that specific desktop edition. As editions go they sort of (and yes, otherwise very much not, but from a user perspective) live at the same level as LMDE so perhaps another section at he same level as MAIN and LMDE and as I suggest above HARDWARE concerning EDITIONS (merging in the toplevel LMDE one, of course)

Note; that desktop one I'm not particulary sure of is a good idea myself. Do think that the hardware one is.

[JosephM]

Quick question. How come on the main index page the hardware forum has direct links to the subforums and the window managers entry does not?

[xenopeek]

Quick question. How come on the main index page the hardware forum has direct links to the subforums and the window managers entry does not?

With Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce listed as subforums too many would for example make support requests that weren't about the Cinnamon desktop environment in the Cinnamon forum because they had the Cinnamon edition installed and figured that was the forum to use. At least that was our thinking with all the topics we moved out of there to more suitable forums, like about hardware problems. Difference between "Cinnamon edition" and "Cinnamon desktop environment". We removed the subforums listing for the Desktops & Window Managers forum as a bit of an extra barrier for this.

[SMG]

At that point there would be several forums under it, certainly "Graphics Cards & Monitors", "Printers and Scanners", rename "Mounting Partitions" to "HDDs, SSDs and other storage" or some such (what does "Mounting Partitions" have to do with hardware?) and adding a "Sound" category, after which "Sound, Multimedia & Codecs" can be renamed "Multimedia & Codecs".

I agree with the suggestion of putting Sound under hardware.

[LanceM]

Looks just great!

[all41]

Newbie Questions renamed to Beginner Questions.

Excellent--imho this is more welcoming

[Terryphi]

I would like to see a 'Favourite Forums' option so that I can choose to only see forums of particular interest to me when selecting unread or new posts.

[Pierre]

that 'Favourite Forums' idea, could be beyond the capabilities of the Forum's phpBB software.

[Terryphi]

Thanks for putting me straight on the limitations of phpBB, Pierre. I mentioned it because I find it useful on another forum which does not use phpBB.

[Moonstone Man]

Newbie Questions renamed to Beginner Questions. Changed the forum description to make more clear this is for quick to answer questions.

I saw that notice so I put my newcomer hat on and was confused by it. Newcomers aren't always in a position, if at all, to know when a question will elicit a short, easy to digest answer, and what might be highly complex for a beginner is not so for those who can help, and the reverse also applies. Just because the beginner thinks it's an easy question it doesn't follow that it actually is. I recommend that the "this is for quick to answer questions" be given some thought because I think it's not going to work, and as I said, I think it will cause confusion.

All of the other changes were long overdue, so well done on the work.

[Pierre]

an lot of Newcomer's were placing their 1st issue in the Newbies Questions area,
and some did get flagged by forum.members and thus were moved to another section.

- that practice will continue, no doubt.

[AZgl1800]

I had noticed the changes, but couldn't quit pin down what it was...

but it does seem to be a bit easier to find the "correct forum" now.

[Samarian Sunset]

All the new changes in the board structure & layout seem logical to me. Looks good and nicely done!

Only one thing, I sure wish we could have a Security/Privacy forum as a lot of Linux users are into both security/hardening and increasing privacy. Security and privacy often go hand in hand and not only include the OS but also browser choices & tweaks, VPNS, DNS configurations, file encryption, router & firewall hardening, etc, etc. The continuing questions/concerns that Windows converts to Linux Mint have about the need/no need for antivirus/malware programs could also be addressed in a Security/Privacy forum.

If we could get a Security/Privacy forum going I think it would be very popular and helpful to both beginners and more experienced users, while helping the Mint user base to grow.

[dorsetUK]

Hi Samarian Sunset.

“If we could get a Security/Privacy forum going I think it would be very popular and helpful to both beginners and more experienced users, while helping the Mint user base to grow.”

I’m not sure that would make Mint more popular.

I’m just a user who doesn’t want to get advertising or junk mail. Firefox – on it’s strictest settings - and uBlock Origin do that very well.

I guess that most new users just want something that works, and for me, that’s Mint.

If I wanted more Security/Privacy, then I’d have a look here, https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/best- ... y-security

Surmising - correct tool for the correct job.

[Portreve]

Two thoughts...

From what I've seen and what I'm reading about here, the reorganization looks like it's been thought through and seems pretty nice. I'll offer additional feedback in the future if something occurs to me.

I like the idea of elevating the discussion about security and privacy. We need more of that because, despite GNU+Linux being a more secure OS, there's always other things people could also be doing, and in fact might want to know they can do under certain specific circumstances.

[dorsetUK]

... despite GNU+Linux being a more secure OS, there's always other things people could also be doing ...

Sure, of course, but why make a friendly, welcoming OS into, um, a secure one. Or more secure. As you said, it's already 'more secure' - add privacy Badger, or similar, and there you go!

Sorry if I'm 'banging on', but if I wanted more Security/Privacy, then I’d have a look here, https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/best- ... y-security

Surmising - correct tool for the correct job.

Sorry but Mint is good. It works, in my experience, year after year, upgrade after upgrade, so long as I don't alter it more than a little. If I wanted to make big changes then I'd look for something that does what I'm looking for.

That's cuz I'm a user and not an expert - or looking to become one.

[rene]

I like the idea of elevating the discussion about security and privacy. We need more of that because, despite GNU+Linux being a more secure OS, there's always other things people could also be doing, and in fact might want to know they can do under certain specific circumstances.

Please don't. I'm not just saying this: it actually is the case that the topic of security on the general internet, i.e., outside of specialist circles, is for more than 90% complete bull by/from those literally without clue of even first principles with say eight of the remaining ten percent taken up by those who while in possible possession of some technical knowledge are for some reason utterly incapable of telling the words "actual" and "conceptual" apart.

All a section such as it does is keep people scared, and on a home user Linux desktop distribution such as Mint, of absolutely nothing. And while then (some of...) the rest of the board only gets to again and again correct useless and/or detrimental advise from that one forum. Just please don't.

[LanceM]

Right on rene! Just misplaced and erroneous exaggeration. Mostly from Windows users, former or otherwise.

[DAMIEN1307]

I like the idea of elevating the discussion about security and privacy. We need more of that because, despite GNU+Linux being a more secure OS, there's always other things people could also be doing, and in fact might want to know they can do under certain specific circumstances.

Please don't. I'm not just saying this: it actually is the case that the topic of security on the general internet, i.e., outside of specialist circles, is for more than 90% complete bull by/from those literally without clue of even first principles with say eight of the remaining ten percent taken up by those who while in possible possession of some technical knowledge are for some reason utterly incapable of telling the words "actual" and "conceptual" apart.

All a section such as it does is keep people scared, and on a home user Linux desktop distribution such as Mint, of absolutely nothing. And while then (some of...) the rest of the board only gets to again and again correct useless and/or detrimental advise from that one forum. Just please don't.

Right on rene! Just misplaced and erroneous exaggeration. Mostly from Windows users, former or otherwise.

Im going to agree with NOT having a "special", "Security/Privacy" segment to the forum as well.

This, to my thinking, will just bring on yet another onslaught of the "Tin Foil Hat" brigade, not only from the former and present Windows users, but also some of our own Linux "experts" from within the forums that seem to always see that the "sky is falling" with every half baked, click bait article, formulated by some so-called "Journalist" on a slow linux news day, trying to justify his job position with crap, scare tactics that might work in a controlled "lab" scenario but never sees the light of day in real world experience concerning potential malware, viruses, spying, etc.

We get plenty of that already without throwing out the "welcome mat", inviting even more of that to come in...DAMIEN

Edit...Still one of my favourites below concerning the "Tin Foil Hat" brigade...Especially in the second half, from the 1:14 minute marker...lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urglg3WimHA