46 votes

Anyone interested in a "Linux" group?

Posted by pyeri
Tags: suggestions, groups, linux

Sorry, I'm a bit new here and not sure how topic creation happens. But considering so much discussion goes on about Linux operating system all the time, I was wondering if any folks are interested in giving the topic its own place on Tildes. Maybe even something like ~comp.linux or ~tech.linux like some other topics have done?

But I also understand that a whole lot of other topics will also be competing for space then like ~comp.python, ~comp.java, etc! Hasn't demand for those topics ever arrived until now?

13 comments

  1. [3]
    sparksbet
    Link
    Currently these types of topics would be mostly posted to the main ~comp or ~tech with the linux tag. There's a lot of people who would be interested in such topics so don't hesitate to post them!...

    Currently these types of topics would be mostly posted to the main ~comp or ~tech with the linux tag. There's a lot of people who would be interested in such topics so don't hesitate to post them! But don't sleep on tags, they're pretty versatile. Subgroups are more for when something completely takes over a group or is sufficiently different in character from the rest of it that we want a separate space for it.

    54 votes
  2. knocklessmonster
    Link
    @sparksbet nailed it I'll come in harder and say we don't need a group, just tag your posts. We have a lot of Linux users/enthusiasts here, but as one of them I don't think Linux needs its own...

    @sparksbet nailed it

    I'll come in harder and say we don't need a group, just tag your posts. We have a lot of Linux users/enthusiasts here, but as one of them I don't think Linux needs its own group.

    This isn't Reddit, we aren't trying to organize into super specific niches under subtopics/groups. I don't mean that as a dig at Reddit or you, the goal of groups is to have tags sorted under them that relate to the broader topic.

    34 votes
  3. [9]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [9]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [3]
        winterstillness
        Link Parent
        I still think in "reddit" terms when it comes to community and posting. I've been holding off some Linux related questions as I don't want to pollute the ~comp group. But as @sparksbet and others...

        I still think in "reddit" terms when it comes to community and posting. I've been holding off some Linux related questions as I don't want to pollute the ~comp group. But as @sparksbet and others pointed out, tagging should alleviate the problem.

        11 votes
        1. [2]
          sparksbet
          Link Parent
          yeah I think this is understandable -- I felt the same way after switching from reddit! But people are able to filter out tags they don't want to see, so if someone is really annoyed by Linux...

          yeah I think this is understandable -- I felt the same way after switching from reddit! But people are able to filter out tags they don't want to see, so if someone is really annoyed by Linux posts they can do that.

          7 votes
          1. [2]
            Comment deleted by author
            Link Parent
            1. soap
              Link Parent
              Definitely subjective, but ~comp seems like the type of group where that's the norm

              Definitely subjective, but ~comp seems like the type of group where that's the norm

              7 votes
      2. [5]
        talklittle
        Link Parent
        For Tildes to transition to the next stage of growth (assuming that is desirable) a few things should change IMO: More frequent migrations of groups to tags and vice versa Groups should not all be...

        For Tildes to transition to the next stage of growth (assuming that is desirable) a few things should change IMO:

        • More frequent migrations of groups to tags and vice versa
        • Groups should not all be default. For example ~anime which I like, but for many people it's not for them. These types of groups should be opt-in rather than default for everyone.
        • A way to surface these non-default groups, e.g. a weekly personalized round-up of topics from unsubscribed groups, especially newly created ones.
          (And people should be able to block groups entirely from the round-up.)
        • Rethink the default Activity sort, as it drowns out the more niche topics/groups in favor of general topics with broad appeal

        It sounds like a lot, but these changes could be planned and performed incrementally.

        8 votes
        1. [2]
          knocklessmonster
          Link Parent
          Insofar as the lack of niche-specific subgroups is intentional we would need to demonstrate a need for it, typically because said subtopics reach a critical mass of posts. As an example with this...

          Insofar as the lack of niche-specific subgroups is intentional we would need to demonstrate a need for it, typically because said subtopics reach a critical mass of posts.

          As an example with this topic: As it stands the only thing to suggest a demand for ~comp.linux as a group has been this post, not a surge ofnposts that led to ~health.coronavirus or ~comp.advent_of_code. We have tons of Linux users here but they don't talk about it alone often, usually as it intersects with another domain, such as development or gaming, where Linux would suffice as a tag. While it is relevant, Linux was a factor rather than a goal.

          I only mention this point because I agree with the other three. I'm also not leaving this comment because I disagree with the OP, but to contextualize how we have had groups formed in the past.

          5 votes
          1. talklittle
            Link Parent
            It's true historically that group creation was meant to be reactive, but it's since evolved to more proactive. We've seen a lot of feedback along the lines of, "I wanted to post to Tildes, but...

            It's true historically that group creation was meant to be reactive, but it's since evolved to more proactive. We've seen a lot of feedback along the lines of, "I wanted to post to Tildes, but wasn't sure if the article was a good fit because there didn't seem to be a matching group. So I hesitated and then ultimately gave up/forgot." First impressions matter.

            The July group updates I believe included a bunch of subjects that weren't getting many posts, but that people had a general desire to post about.

            I don't really wish to retread this conversation much further here, as the last proper discussion already had hundreds and hundreds of comments. So I recommend interested parties to read through some of those comments, to hear the ideas and arguments on all sides and understand how we got here.

            1 vote
        2. pete_the_paper_boat
          Link Parent
          On the topic of defaults, this is a known thing, and will be changed as the platform grows, which is the case for a lot of tildes quirks.

          On the topic of defaults, this is a known thing, and will be changed as the platform grows, which is the case for a lot of tildes quirks.

          4 votes
        3. boxer_dogs_dance
          Link Parent
          I have several groups blocked. I think we could use a FAQ list, but blocking groups is straightforward

          I have several groups blocked.

          I think we could use a FAQ list, but blocking groups is straightforward

          3 votes
  4. boxer_dogs_dance
    Link
    One more point to add context. We have one group for all science that is not medicine and one finance group for all topics loosely related to money from formal economics to real estate to personal...

    One more point to add context. We have one group for all science that is not medicine and one finance group for all topics loosely related to money from formal economics to real estate to personal budgets.

    The goal as far as I understand it is to avoid empty groups that will discourage newcomers.

    But all relevant content is welcome within a group

    5 votes