Leaving C9

OK, I finally decided I need to take a break from this place (though my name will probably stay on that damn broken Who's here bar).

I'm finding that C9 is becoming alot of...

"Hey I need messenger invites"
"How does Windows beat Linux?"
"I/You/Someone pissed/is pissing/is pissed at Google"
...and a reverberation of alot of the content that is already on the front page of digg/techmemeorandum/AOL.com/Live/ and other sites that I hang out on.

I'm not seeing the same quality of posting as I thought I once had and I'm noticing that some of the posting is just "flamebait" waiting to happen.

I realize I've been a part of this as well, and thus feel it's not really a warrented part of C9 and so commences my break. I'm not saying I'm leaving forever I'm just going to take some time away and stop hitting F5 every half hour to see if something new is up. I have a few ideas I'm gonna toss around and see if I can't develop them further instead of worrying if RJ has the Google Sales Snipers after him, if Shooby will ever love Microsoft, or if Nick and Jessica will ever get back together again.

The people who have IM'd me on MSN please feel free to and if anyone wants to email me I always respond so...see everyone around.

Cybermagellan wrote:

I'm finding that C9 is becoming alot of...

"Hey I need messenger invites"
"How does Windows beat Linux?"
"I/You/Someone pissed/is pissing/is pissed at Google"
...and a reverberation of alot of the content that is already on the front page of digg/techmemeorandum/AOL.com/Live/ and other sites that I hang out on.

It's about time someone said this.  Though I believe it's been said before.  Aside from the fact that I only read C9 when I'm at work and I've been very busy the last few months, this is part of the reason I've posted once in a blue moon. 

It gets kinda old re-reading posts about articles that I've just read aggregator.  It's become slashdot like for people to want th ebe the first to post a thread about a news story rather than actually post something interesting about the article they just read.  Post something more than just a quote from the article!  Prompt some discussion from the start rather than waiting for everyone else to give their opinion first.  Start a thread with an actual discussion and not just rehashed content from the article just to say you posted it first.  And for God's sake, use the search or subscribe to the RSS before you post an article!

And as far as the invites, I hope atleast my first two wishes are coming true...

You are not alone in this.  I've thought about this several times lately, and I think this discussion with the Channel 9 folks didn't help things. There are a lot of things that are getting old on here.  Squabbling about obscure web standards that nobody uses (that would be you W3bbo), rehashed stories from Slashdot (okay, so I've done this a couple of times myself I admit), and the general lack of depth in the responses on a great MANY topics. 

I've tried posting threads on big events in the news.  Sometimes that works, but most of the time it doesn't. I've tried posting deeper programming topics.  Those don't get much response at all (need examples? I'll gladly provide them).  I've tried approaching more "moral" subjects and those typically tend to bomb...the only people that seem to reply to those are Karim, JohnAskew, and a few others.  While that makes for interesting conversation, it says a lot about the community here and where they are going in life and that's sad.

The only threads that seem to rack up replies are the ones that deal with IE (which I find is one of the more boring pieces of software to talk about ALL DAY LONG), Linux vs. Windows, and a few other select topics. People complain that they want a real Linux expert in here to debate. Then, when the Linux experts actually show up, the replies are like "meh". So the Linux expert packs up and leaves, and the cycles repeats.

I fully expect Charles to step in here any moment with his usual "GO NINERS" and "WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANY NINERS" rah-rah thing, but man, that is soooooooo old Charles.

I have learned a lot from the videos, though.

I don't find that when I am away from this site a week (with work, vacation, whatever) that I don't miss it one bit. Some of the people here did help me through one of the absolute worst times of my life with their humor, though, and I'll always remember that.

Channel 9 hasn't changed one bit between today and a month after it was first launched (after the Microsoftees left, and the original goals became lost).

If anything the site isn't at its peak of trolling ... I've seen it worse at least twice that I know of... The first was caused by Kescos (or something) but we drove him away when we started contacting his father by phone... The second was by Beer but he has cooled down a lot since then (at least compared to himself).

You might be getting tired of the forums/site but not much will change between now and the time you return, except perhaps the site closing...

I also agree, you don't see me posting much because there isn't much point because most discussions are pointless. I came to C9 heaps for the videos and was expecting the site to become something really good but it hasn't been and really I'm only subscribed via rss is to be notified of new videos (which there hasn't been any lately). I was expecting C9 to become a site where everyone talked about technology and how you can use this stuff and not just talking about anything you can think of. I'm not sure you can really change the type of topics that are started so everyone will just have to live with it.

Cybermagellan wrote:

OK, I finally decided I need to take a break from this place (though my name will probably stay on that damn broken Who's here bar).

    Dude, when you say this, I believe quite a few ppl here will care about it, but when St. Beer says this, the situation will be quite different:(
    C9 is the place for the so callled celebrities, wannabes, and ...

Sheva

Hey, I just do the math and I even want to leave.  I've started 13 threads and three of them have gotten locked (thanks Mr. Beer) and another one nearly got locked (Windows vs. Linux security). All I was doing in that thread was asking about a laptop and the thread gets ambushed.

Manip wrote:

Channel 9 hasn't changed one bit between today and a month after it was first launched (after the Microsoftees left, and the original goals became lost).

I think one of the biggest downfalls was the loss of actual Microsoft people on this forum. I remember one of my first posts here was asking about how the Font object doesn't use OpenType fonts 100% of the time. Someone here was going to ask one of the guys on the team in Microsoft that did that. That kind of help/interaction has disappeared. Once in a while when they post a video here, the person in the video has a few things to say in the videos thread, then they're pretty much gone after that

Err.. isn't this forum for idle chit-chat about IT stuff and beyond..  you know.. like a 'Coffee House'  if you wanted to talk about font-objects or such, wouldn't it be better to post in Techoff..?

I do fully agree with you.
My usage of the Channel9 forum has change dquite alot, the last months, because of the reasons you just said.

@Manip
Why would the site close?
This site, is the best site on MSDN, ever.

sorry to hear that...

im still going to come here - mainly for the people (lots of variety)

i got my messenger invite from a member and a soup and sandwich at lunch isnt the same without a good ol linux vs windows troll fest...

i dont mind when people post articles from elsewhere - cause you can discuss them here... its a forum (??)

ive received so much help from the people here - yourself included it isnt funny

Coffeehouse aint perfect - and i wish ms would take more of the ...ummm .. passionate comments,ideas and complaints more seriously

It's a bit of a forgotten ant farm - but its all we got

I don't often post, because I don't see any point.

I find that when I neglect to look at the forum for weeks, I don't miss it at all - like others have said.

Without the videos and people who come here "just because," this forum would drift apart.

Unfortunately, I am not sure of a solution.

Sorry to see you go, Cyber.  I did the same thing and came back 4-6 months later and it was worth the break.

I come here for the people.  IMHO, forums have a critical mass at which they become unweildy and you get lost in the crowd.  So far, c9's active posters havent reached that point and so it is still fun.

I guess it's kind of like the difference between a corner pub and octoberfest.  Sure, octoberfest is fun once in a while, but you feel more at home at the corner pub.

This is one of my complaints with /. and fark.

Anyhoo, enjoy your break.

Cybermagellan wrote:

stop hitting F5 every half hour to see if something new is up

First thing I have to say is: sorry to see you leave.

Second thing I have to say (regarding the quote) is: Wow, only every half hour; I'm down to every 10 minutes when I have posted nothing, and every 20 - 30 seconds when I have.

Angus Higgins

Cybermagellan wrote:

OK, I finally decided I need to take a break from this place (though my name will probably stay on that damn broken Who's here bar).

I'm finding that C9 is becoming alot of...

"Hey I need messenger invites"
"How does Windows beat Linux?"
"I/You/Someone pissed/is pissing/is pissed at Google"
...and a reverberation of alot of the content that is already on the front page of digg/techmemeorandum/AOL.com/Live/ and other sites that I hang out on.

I'm not seeing the same quality of posting as I thought I once had and I'm noticing that some of the posting is just "flamebait" waiting to happen.

Pretty much everything goes through cycles of interest.  Even bread can be fresh one day and stale the next.  People habituate to things: we're wired to lose interest.  There's a funny song by They Might Be Giants called "The End of the Tour":

There's a girl with a crown and a scepter
Who's on WLSD
And she says that the scene isn't what it's been
And she's thinking of going home
That it's old and it's totally over now
And it's old and it's over, it's over now
And it's over, it's over, it's over now
I can see myself

So if the bread seems stale, take a little break from eating.   When you get hungry enough, you'll think, "Hey -- that's not stale bread, it's a huge CROUTON!!!  Man that looks tasty."

Get away from the Coffeehouse for a while, go back to Real Life, deal with stupid people for a while.  LOL  If and when it's time, you'll come back...

The other thing I'd point out is that Channel 9 <> Coffeehouse.  Don't think of it as taking a break from the Coffeehouse, so much as catching up on the videos

As for seeing digg/memeorandum/slashdot/etc. stories in the Coffeehouse, yeah, sometimes it seems like the world is all talking about the same six stories.  Given identical topics though, I would wager that the Coffeehouse comments would at least have a semblance of intelligence, whereas the digg comments will be utterly moronic.  (No offense to Digg!  I love Digg.  The comment quality leaves something to be desired, though.)

Plus, you get some unique perspectives here.  Sure, all those sites can run stories on the challenge to the FAT patent, but only in the Coffeehouse did the inventor of the FAT show up and say he invented it so he thinks he knows a little about it.  LOL

Enjoy your break, go get some real work done... but don't forget to come back

I think we are seeing the usual post "I'm leaving so miss me" post that happens frequently on sites like this. In fact on a MUD I used to play we would frequently see a lot of posts like this "I'm leaving cause XXXX isn't the way it used to be, blah, blah...." I find it funny that stuff like this always happens on "communities." I still enjoy C9, but still think there should be someplace like this for system administrators/non-developers.

The Coffee House is somewhat more flexable - where posters can generally be less technical and generally show their personalities.

 

Perhaps there could be more subdivisions of Forums that would focus on more technical specifics and finer-tuned categories.



But, all in all, this is a  GREAT FORUM/ RES:DURCE

ChrisA wrote:

Bye, you will be missed.  We will hold down the fort for you.  Maybe you should talk Karim and some others into taking a break with you and then you would see most of the nonsennse leave

You can bite me, monkeyboy.  LOL