alt.sf.scale-models

I don't think that's the case at all since it's so easy to either killfile or ignore off-topic threads. I think it's subject-specific websites like Hyperscale and Track-Link and the many discussion groups on Yahoo! that lure readers away from RMS.

Huh? You mean there's actually a system to filing?! I figured as long as it was in the modeling room somewhere that meant it was filed....oops

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. --Leonardo Da Vinci

I would. You'd be surprised (or, maybe not) at how fast things can disappear on these machines. I have piles of things saved in Netscape

3.0 that are untouchable by this 4.7. My son likes to 'upgrade' things for me which tends to make my hair turn white much faster. ;)

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Well, the hard copy system works really well. It's the electro-chemical system that has gaps. I've built things and a year later find information in the files that would have been of use during the build. I just forgot to look for it. :]

Bill Banaszak, MFE

You might be right, Al. I've never been to any of those to know. Question: Are the forums moderated? That would cut down on the distractions but it would strike me as 'flavourless'.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

The two times I've been on Hyperscale, I've noticed following a thread is much more tedious, and that a lot of the traffic, whilst on-topic, was pretty vapid. There's probably a lot of good stuff there, but I found it much too hard to overview all topics on the site, and a lot of the topic heads weren't terribly on-topic anyway.

My take is that people tend to stay with groups where they like what they are reading, on- or off-topic. I prefer unmoderated groups, if only because I do more with my life than compare RLM color chips all day. Whatever you care to say about rms in the negative sense, it also seem to me that if you have a specific modeling-related question and state it in reasonably readable English, you will probably get one or more useful answers. You do take your chance if you just browse.

Mark Schynert

My filing system for any magazine articles, books, or the thousands of kits in the collection are in my head. Things were okay and I knew where everything was. lately my 43 y.o. brain is having troubles at times extracting data. For instance I bought a detail set that I swear was on the racking in the basement and has been for years. I went to get it the other day and I'll be damned if I can find it. Since I am going blind too it probably is staring me in the face! Cheers, Max Bryant

I don't remember if Track-Link is actively moderated but Brett Green keeps a close eye on the discussions at Hyperscale. As for the Yahoo! groups it depends on the group owner. I moderate all new members on the groups I own but that's mostly to keep spammers out of them. Beyond that I watch the discussions closely to keep them pretty much on-topic and flame-free.

spoilsport. :)

RobG

Al Superczynski wrote