[Request] Don't use brackets unless you're posting an actual hack

Enough of this. Before it was just petty, insignificant annoyance, now it is a full-blown, 100% pet peeve. The reason people put [Release] before the title of their post is that we know that it is actually a hack, and not a silly request. If all the requests start with [Request] then it defeats the purpose. Maybe I'm going overboard with this, but I'd rather everybody read this and think I'm an a-hole than come to this forum and see [Request] after [Request], and then bit(h about it another thread in another forum so the people who do it don't even know that they are pissing me and several other people off.

I'm sorry this is not a hack - but enough is enough, it was time for an intervention.

-jim

Aaron, I echo takerfan's sentiments when I say I did not mean you specifically. I didn't mean to insult you at all.

Rangersfan, true there is no "correct" way of doing things. But there are certain unspoken rules that every board on the internet follows. Somehwere Martin has alluded to the fact that there is a definite cycle of newbies vs people who have been around for a while. And the truth is that this whole [request] thing is a relatively new thing. Nobody is trying to say what is "correct" - just what is liked and disliked, and what is expected of the people who post. Considering your [Bored] post, I have a feeling I know where you stand on this issue. But +++++ing about it in that thread doesn't accomplish anything if the people who are doing don't read it. That's all I wanted to do with this thread. Make people aware that it was annoying. Lo and behold, there hasn't been a sinlge [Request] since I posted this. A connection?

As I said in the original post, I'd rather people think of me as an a-hole for saying something about this than not say something and have it continue to happen.

-jim

Originally posted by JimF
Lo and behold, there hasn't been a sinlge [Request] since I posted this. A connection?

yes, you scared the **** out of everyone

btw, I guess that when you said "Aaron just doesn't seem to get it", you didn't in fact mean Aaron specifically, but rather as a generic term for all [request] users?


As a side note, I for one didn't find anything bothersome about threads with [request] at their topic - since I can actually read, it seems I never made the mistake of thinking one is the other. What's more, I think it's great that people without any hacking ability still come up with ideas - this is the basis of community and mutual support. While I don't have 1% of Ed's abilities to provide a hack such as the memberslist or the private messaging, I would like to think that I contribute my share by providing feedback and ideas on improving the product for the welfare of all users.

Frankly, and while I've never made a [request] thread, I find a lot of what was said here condescending and patronising, as if this forum has "classes" of posters. But then, I won't mention anyone specifically

I too have never confused one for the other, but I'm sure that alot of people are not paying attention, and if they were here when it was always [RELEASE], they just assume it says release without paying attention.

And as for what you said about making suggestions, I agree 100% on that, but you don't have to start the thread with [REQUEST], what's the point of doing that?
Its for this reason that I hope that when the vbhackers.org site opens up they have boards for hack releases, and hack suggestions, that way discussions like this where people feel two different ways on something that is really trivial and pointless, don't have to occur.

I would also like to mention that once someone posts something that I get into, I just keep on going with it, I get really bored and have nothing better to do, so I case I just like to "stir the pot" sort of speak. I just like to see what other people have to say, see who agrees and who doesn't, see if my opinion changes.

Now, I probably shouldn't have said that, but oh well. I don't usually get carried out of hand, with the exception of one topic before(not here on the vB forums), I've never gotten out of hand, but thats a whole other discussion.

And now I'm just babbling about nothing cause like I said I'm bored, I'll stop now, blah blah blah.

Originally posted by bira
you scared the **** out of everyone

LOL I'm a nice guy, really, I swear! Just ask Brian - he'll vouch for me for sure!

I guess I'm in the same boat as thetakerfan on all counts here. Sometimes it's fun to "stir the pot" so to speak.

I was good about this for a while - I emailed Ed just to let him know how I felt, I never got a response, so I figured I was the only one annoyed by this. When I started seeing that other people were as well, and there was an influx of [requests], I guess I just lost it. But hey, we're all guilty of that.

I have no intention of impeding the community by discouraging people from posting hack requests - that's what makes the "community".

What I meant by the "Aaron doesn't seem to get it" comment was that he was trying think of how else we could signify requests - by using <request> or something like that. I felt he "didn't get" that that wasn't the point - the point was there there is really no reason to tell people that you are posting a request. 75% of the people don't look for other hack requests - and the 25% that do, can tell from the title whether or not it is a request or not. The point of putting [Release] was so that a release would stand out from the requests. If they are all [requests], then the purpose is defeated.

Ed said it the best, in regards to how he'll mark his hacks:

[THIS IS A REAL HACK, NOT SOME BS REQUEST - YES, YOU WILL ACTUALLY FIND CODE IN THIS THREAD]

I really didn't intend for this issue to hurt feelings, alienate anyone, or become such a controversy. I just wanted to give people a heads up, that's all. I apologize if I have done any of the things that I just mentioned I didn't want to do.

-jim

nicely put Jim
BTW, if I ever say anything that offends anyone, let me know casue chances are, unless you REALLY pissed me off, I didn't mean anything by it. I rarely get that pissed off though, I try to keep a cool head.

Jim - I got your email, but since you started some threads on it, I didn't respond and posted there

Oh, and also, I did see one thread that had the [request] thing on it after this thread, but I renamed it

Anyway, my thoughts:

It's not really gonna kill anyone. I mean, I read all the threads anyway, but I have done double takes when I'm trying to fly through.

But what's the point of sticking [request] on anyway? [RELEASE] is put on to make it stick out and be very obvious. Why does a request have to be obvious?

IMVHO, that would make it have LESS views.

Just my incoherent thoughts

I guess I agree with your incoherent thoughts, Ed

I guess as a mod you have to read everything anyway - but for people who don't have to read every thread (99.9% of the people), it is nice to be able to tell what the good stuff is without having to think about it. It's not something that is intolerable, or a great offense or anything - just something that doesn't make any sense to me. That's all.

-jim

[bump]

[Unrelated, and completely off topic, but Jim: You should get your ass on ICQ more often! I haven't seen ya on 'cept for that one time ]

[nothing to see here, move along]

[so now we're going to start using the brackets within the posts that wer are complaining about using them?]