[Biopython] suggestion: moving to the discussion list to Google groups

[Istvan Albert]

Hi Everyone,

> Also, using Google Groups would *require* all posters to have
> a Google Account - a potential sticking point for some.

Right, but even currently one has to make an account on your  site
with email and password. Aren't you  less comfortable signing up with
various third parties than Google?

A response mentioned that Gmail's email threading works just as well
...  well it doesn't help anyone who has not already been subscribed
to the messages to begin with.  If you come to a discussion later you
cannot get that.

My goal is not to argue with each point, I only picked these two
because  both seemed to me like obvious responses yet  they are only
superficially addressing  the issues that  I brought up.

But to step back a second, and maybe I wasn't specific enough. It is
less about me, I can filter and thread my own email, I could download
the email entire archive and search it etc..
I teach an introductory level class that uses Biopython, can I
recommend my class that all go and sign up with you? I cannot really.
Many people are just learning about computing, they will be
overwhelmed with the everything interface, lack of search etc.

All of you who responded - frankly I think you are too close to this
issue to be able judge it correctly. It is like advising a newbie to
use VI, one in a hundred will love it ninety nine will hate it, but
hey who could argue that it is not super awesome? Once you do
something for a bunch of  years, you develop strategies and
everything seems to work just fine, and everything makes sense. Get
someone who is 20 and has never heard of sending emails to an address
then see what they say about it...

You all obviously care about the a community around biopython  so all
I am saying here is this:  when you look around and wish that you
could get a lot more people in - I think the answer is right there.
Make it really easy to ask question,  participate but also easy to
just not participate and just be able to catch up really quickly of
what is going on.

I wish you all the best,

Istvan Albert

-- 
Istvan Albert
http://www.personal.psu.edu/iua1