Re: pgsql-committers shouldn't be the default "developers" list

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pgsql-www-owner@postgresql.org
> [mailto:pgsql-www-owner@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of Tom Lane
> Sent: 11 January 2006 04:55
> To: pgsql-www@postgresql.org
> Subject: [pgsql-www] pgsql-committers shouldn't be the
> default "developers" list
>
> Recently I've noticed an increasing number of clueless-newbie posts on
> pgsql-committers, eg
> http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-committers/2006-01/msg00132.php
> You can debate which list such posts might be appropriate for, but
> there is utterly no doubt that -committers ain't it.
>
> It just occurred to me what the probable explanation for this is:
> since the archives.postgresql.org left-side menu got rearranged,
> pgsql-committers is the list that comes up when you hit "Developers
> lists".  And unlike, say, the front page for pgsql-hackers, there
> is no verbiage whatsoever in the list description that might suggest
> to newbies that this is not the place for their question.
>
> At minimum the list description needs to be filled in, in a way that
> will discourage people from posting questions there.  Perhaps
>
>     This list carries CVS commit log messages, and occasionally
>     followup discussions arising from them.
>
>     If you have a question that is not directly related to a
>     recent commit, it doesn't belong here.

Done - will appear next time the indexes regenerate.

> But I'd like to suggest also that slavish adherence to alphabetical
> order in the list menus might not be the best thing.
> Certainly I'd find
> that it usually saves me a click if clicking on "Developers lists"
> brought up -hackers as the default selection.  Similarly, in the "User
> lists" pgsql-admin doesn't seem like the greatest default
> (hmm, it seems
> like that list's signal-to-noise ratio has dropped lately too...).
> Could we point that one at -general perhaps?

I've changed the default list for Users to -general, Developers to
-hackers and Projects to pgadmin-support. In the longterm I think
Peter's suggestion of having an intro page for each section is probably
best, but that will require code changes that I don't have time for
right now.

Regards, Dave.