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View Full Version : Why do you use "The Community Cafe" ?



handy
June 29th, 2011, 05:35 AM
I just used the thread title in a reply to someone & it occurred to me that it was a good title for a new thread.

So...?

JDShu
June 29th, 2011, 05:54 AM
The general reason is that it's a good representation of the opinions of relatively mainstream Linux users.

When I first got into Ubuntu the cafe was very educational and I picked up a lot. Nowadays I browse and lurk out of habit more than anything else. I'm always on the lookout for interesting and educational technical debates too.

juancarlospaco
June 29th, 2011, 05:58 AM
Because there are some awesome people here; information is powah, and sharing it makes you a better human.

KiwiNZ
June 29th, 2011, 06:00 AM
It sits there in the background as I work.

I have to I am staff.

handy
June 29th, 2011, 06:05 AM
It sits there in the background as I work.

I have to I am staff.

If you weren't staff?

KiwiNZ
June 29th, 2011, 06:26 AM
If you weren't staff?

probably, just not as much.

cariboo
June 29th, 2011, 06:28 AM
+1 to what KwiiNZ said, If I wasn't on staff I wouldn't be here.

b@sh_n3rd
June 29th, 2011, 06:34 AM
Lol, neat thread. I love hanging around the Community Cafe because of all the humour, knowledge, etc, bundled in an "all-in-one" package :P It's something to do when you've got nothing else to do :D (ie: when away from home linux system...no coding, compiling, configuration...:P)

handy
June 29th, 2011, 06:36 AM
+1 to what KiwiNZ said, If I wasn't on staff I wouldn't be here.

That's a shame, I always quit whenever I didn't enjoy my work.

lisati
June 29th, 2011, 06:38 AM
Lol, neat thread. I love hanging around the Community Cafe because of all the humour, knowledge, etc, bundled in an "all-in-one" package :P It's something to do when you've got nothing else to do :D (ie: when away from home linux system...no coding, compiling, configuration...:P)
Nicely said.

That's a shame, I always quit whenever I didn't enjoy my work.
There's nothing wrong with a break every now and again.

handy
June 29th, 2011, 06:42 AM
...

There's nothing wrong with a break every now and again.

So the staff/mods can't swap around to some degree re. the threads that they have to monitor?

I agree with you cariboo if I had to monitor the Cafe perpetually I'd surely quit.

b@sh_n3rd
June 29th, 2011, 06:42 AM
Nicely said.

Thanks ;)

KiwiNZ
June 29th, 2011, 06:43 AM
That's a shame, I always quit whenever I didn't enjoy my work.

The majority of abuse I have received since 2004 has been as a result of decision made on Cafe and the old pinkponies area of the Forum. Some of that abuse has been quite nasty that is why I feel as I do about this section.

I think you will find a lot of staff feel similarly.

KiwiNZ
June 29th, 2011, 06:44 AM
So the staff/mods can't swap around to some degree re. the threads that they have to monitor?

I agree with you cariboo if I had to monitor the Cafe perpetually I'd surely quit.

We cover the entire Forum.

handy
June 29th, 2011, 06:49 AM
The majority of abuse I have received since 2004 has been as a result of decision made on Cafe and the old pinkponies area of the Forum. Some of that abuse has been quite nasty that is why I feel as I do about this section.

I think you will find a lot of staff feel similarly.

That is easily understandable re. The Backyard, I wasn't aware that the Cafe had been so contentious & rude to the staff in the past.

Though when The Backyard was functioning I never came here anyway as it was always too mild by comparison.

lisati
June 29th, 2011, 06:51 AM
That is easily understandable re. The Backyard, I wasn't aware that the Cafe had been so contentious & rude to the staff in the past.

Though when The Backyard was functioning I never came here anyway as it was always too mild by comparison.

There have been one or two problems in the cafe that have come to our attention.

lmsg2011
June 29th, 2011, 10:13 AM
I come here because not only is it great to learn more about Ubuntu, especially as I'm a newbie ( only had Ubuntu as my full time OS for about a week) but it's great to hear what linux users have to say on other topics. What their thoughts are, what drives them, what interests them. It's a great place to come together. If you want to become involved in Open source, you have to learn more about the ethos behind it and the people who not only use it but promote it, develop it, break it and change it.

nothingspecial
June 29th, 2011, 10:19 AM
The majority of abuse I have received since 2004 has been as a result of decision made on Cafe and the old pinkponies area of the Forum. Some of that abuse has been quite nasty that is why I feel as I do about this section.

I think you will find a lot of staff feel similarly.

I can also remember you getting a bit of kindness and support here from time to time :)

Granted, by random people on the internet....... but then so is the abuse, no?

KiwiNZ
June 29th, 2011, 10:30 AM
I can also remember you getting a bit of kindness and support here from time to time :)

Granted, by random people on the internet....... but then so is the abuse, no?

Agreed. 99% of our members are fantastic, I guess we have to deal with the 1% a lot and that does tarnish our view.

Perfect Storm
June 29th, 2011, 10:38 AM
+1 for what the other staff said. I'm more likely to hang out in our gaming & leisure forums :popcorn:

But I do always check show your desktop thread in the cafe everyday, to get ideas and stuff.

Macskeeball
June 29th, 2011, 12:34 PM
I am a technology enthusiast trying to become a technology journalist (industry news, reviews, how-tos, tips & tricks, explanations of how things work, etc). While it's true that my main OS is Mac OS X and that I've used Macs since 1996, I also like and use Linux. I want to discuss technology with other enthusiasts, develop my writing ability, and become platform agnostic. I tried that on a couple of Mac forums before, but politics, cliques, personal attacks, and flamewars caused that to not go so well. The people on the Ubuntu Forums are generally a lot nicer, and the moderation is better.

I help out in support threads here on occasion (when I think to do so and then find something I can help with), but because my Ubuntu experience is not at the same level as my OS X experience I generally hang out in the Cafe.

Bandit
June 29th, 2011, 01:31 PM
I just used the thread title in a reply to someone & it occurred to me that it was a good title for a new thread.

So...?

I use community cafe to chitchat, I am to lazy to actually help anyone.. :D

OldBoy44
June 29th, 2011, 01:49 PM
Agreed. 99% of our members are fantastic, I guess we have to deal with the 1% a lot and that does tarnish our view.

KiwiNZ your number of posts no doubt reflects your devotion to duty - you should care less for that 1% and try to enjoy the input of the 99%. As an elderly user I find it a joy to be involved with all of the fantastic forums we have here! I am very inexperienced generally, but find the input of moderators and helpers to be absolutely terrific and helpful. As for the "Community Cafe", I see it as a place to discuss anything and everything that isn't covered in the other sections of the forums.

Maybe somebody should start a thread for those wishing to record their thanks to the moderators and helpers!

Cheers, :)

handy
June 29th, 2011, 02:03 PM
I use community cafe to chitchat, I am to lazy to actually help anyone.. :D

:lolflag: I can see that!

I reckon when you play 500 you prefer to choose Misère (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mis%C3%A8re). ;)

Dragonbite
June 29th, 2011, 02:09 PM
I like it because it is a chance to talk with people of similar interests (Linux, Ubuntu, FOSS) on subjects other than technical bibble-babble.

Sometimes I use it as research and reference on people's thoughts, as well as a chance to pick up statements which may be useful in live face-to-face conversations and friendly conflicts.

A big plus is that I find it interesting seeing viewpoints from people of different countries that I would otherwise never get a chance to talk to under normal circumstances.

I also fool myself into thinking I may help or educate people coming in to Linux a little about how the Linux way is different than the Windows way, and basically offer advice that I found out through my own experiences just under the past 10 years.

It has changed over the years, that is true.

haqking
June 29th, 2011, 02:12 PM
cos like a regular cafe, there are tables you want to sit at and tables you dont, and sometimes you just want to sit on your own and eavesdrop.

I can ask stupid questions as well as answer other peoples ;-)

Khakilang
June 29th, 2011, 02:19 PM
Its a place where you can be anybody you want to be.

kaldor
June 29th, 2011, 02:37 PM
Sometimes the threads are interesting. I used to post here a load more in the past, but I got bored of it. I mainly just lurk.

Also gotta love how a certain other forum watches this place for stupid topics and then flames the **** out of them. Right or wrong, it's still funny. That said, it does get pretty annoying when everyone is accused of being a Linux zealot here now. That's namely why I stopped bothering to post.

handy
June 29th, 2011, 02:43 PM
...

That said, it does get pretty annoying when everyone is accused of being a Linux zealot here now. That's namely why I stopped bothering to post.

Can you expand on that as I don't understand what you mean?

Elfy
June 29th, 2011, 02:44 PM
+1 to the other staff responses - I do though take a break from the cafe from time to time.

Elfy
June 29th, 2011, 02:46 PM
Also gotta love how a certain other forum watches this place for stupid topics and then flames the **** out of them. We'll nip that one in the bud now please.

Bandit
June 29th, 2011, 02:50 PM
Sometimes the threads are interesting. I used to post here a load more in the past, but I got bored of it. I mainly just lurk.

Also gotta love how a certain other forum watches this place for stupid topics and then flames the **** out of them. Right or wrong, it's still funny. That said, it does get pretty annoying when everyone is accused of being a Linux zealot here now. That's namely why I stopped bothering to post.

I feel ya..
I dont claim to be (at least not to often) to be a zealot. But it gripes my arsh when someone claims to be an advanced user and cant even compile a kernel or even a simple program. Which is beginning stuff in my book and sure most everyone elses thats been using linux for years. But I put this blame on windows users that think they know it all since they can install stuff.

kaldor
June 29th, 2011, 02:54 PM
Can you expand on that as I don't understand what you mean?

Talking about how people seem to label enthusiastic users as fanboys, etc. Just look around (and outside this forum as well) and you'll see what I mean.

One example- I made a post here some months ago about how to go about safely cleaning up a family member's Windows PC, and mentioned that it was a request. Someone replied and told me to stop messing with other people's stuff and leave them alone.

Also not to mention the countless threads elsewhere which label people as "linux youths" over absolutely anything.

handy
June 29th, 2011, 03:10 PM
Talking about how people seem to label enthusiastic users as fanboys, etc. Just look around (and outside this forum as well) and you'll see what I mean.

Well, Linux (& every other type of) fanboys do exist here & elsewhere. They, (we) usually grow out of that in time, though they (we) can & do make an impression with our enthusiasm for our newly found alternative OS, before we settle into just being happy alternate life-stylers... :)



One example- I made a post here some months ago about how to go about safely cleaning up a family member's Windows PC, and mentioned that it was a request. Someone replied and told me to stop messing with other people's stuff and leave them alone.

Don't worry about what other people say, particularly if you are helping someone. Every kind of chauvinist exists in this hugely populated forum. If someone's chauvinism doesn't fit with yours, ignore them, if they are particularly irritating literally ignore them, I do. :)



Also not to mention the countless threads elsewhere which label people as "linux youths" over absolutely anything.

That's their problem - they too are suffering from the human frailty of chauvinism.

Once you identify chauvinism, you find that you are surrounded by it on all fronts, in all but every dimension, & that when you do identify it you can objectify it & therefore become free of its effects.

I hope that made sense?

kaldor
June 29th, 2011, 03:11 PM
I hope that made sense?

Oh, it did. I just don't personally enjoy posting on forums where it seems like people are just looking for excuses to complain/flame :)

handy
June 29th, 2011, 03:17 PM
Oh, it did. I just don't personally enjoy posting on forums where it seems like people are just looking for excuses to complain/flame :)

Personally I don't think that this forum has a big problem in that regard. The staff/mods do, do terrific job here I think.

Since The Backyard was closed we really can't get into the prime topics that so many people have emotional investments in. (Unfortunately :p)

kaldor
June 29th, 2011, 03:22 PM
Personally I don't think that this forum has a big problem in that regard.

Take a look in some topics now and then. It's usually some usual people who are just trying to get reactions out of "zealots".

And yeah, the mods here are usually quite fair and levelheaded.

handy
June 29th, 2011, 03:34 PM
Take a look in some topics now and then. It's usually some usual people who are just trying to get reactions out of "zealots".

And yeah, the mods here are usually quite fair and levelheaded.

I do, do a regular dance through a set of topics here & really I don't come across that problem enough to even be able to remember the last time I saw it. (One of the benefits of having a failing memory perhaps?)

If someone is being an immature dill, I'll usually ignore them, though if they are intensely into it they'll sometimes get a rise out of me & I'll give it to them in a reply.

That's all part of life on the forums. Sometimes the perpetrators are very young, other times they may be of any age & drunk; & everything in between.

"Texture" is a good way to look at it I think. :)

Bart_D
June 29th, 2011, 03:55 PM
Q. Why do you use "The Community Cafe" ?

A. To provide a means of escapism from the doldrums* of reality.

* and/or brutalities/harsh cold truths

mips
June 29th, 2011, 04:16 PM
Because I can.

Seriously, plain tech stuff just gets boring, diversions are welcomed.

ScionicSpectre
June 29th, 2011, 04:22 PM
It's nice to see how the mainstream Linux community is evolving, and most of its opinions reside here and on blogs like OMG! Ubuntu.

It's interesting to see the dichotomy that's growing between uninformed noobs and users who are more aware of the developer community. And it's even more amusing to see how the noobs can be so much more reasonable, correct, and pragmatic than the more 'embedded' users.

That's what interests me the most, here. It's kind of a smelting pot of the essence of the open source community, and the software frontier at its beginning. I think the pure ideas that brew in these casual conversations will likely live far beyond the time we live in, and become a foundation for what software users find important decades from now.

cariboo
June 29th, 2011, 05:01 PM
Actually I can say quite a few good thing about the Cafe, One thing I like is if I find a thread or post that irritates me, I sit down and compose a long reply, then just close the page instead of posting the comment, for me it's a good way of getting rid of some of my frustrations. :) :)

handy
June 29th, 2011, 05:13 PM
Actually I can say quite a few good thing about the Cafe, One thing I like is if I find a thread or post that irritates me, I sit down and compose a long reply, then just close the page instead of posting the comment, for me it's a good way of getting rid of some of my frustrations. :) :)

It is one of the oft overlooked problems of being on staff or a mod;- people in those positions can't truly express their feelings/thoughts on a topic, as doing so may cause them to be stepping outside of the CoC, & they may very likely have an even tighter code to adhere to when in the position of overseer.

So I can understand that finding somewhere to let off steam without venting it directly to the people that you may like to strangle (just a little bit lol) could be an extremely valuable thing.

s.fox
June 29th, 2011, 05:21 PM
I generally do not watch over the cafe, except for the Welcome To The Forums (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1451097) thread. That does not mean I do not respond to problematic posts that have been reported.

I don't really have an area I monitor specifically, but I do like to keep an eye on the Development & Programming Talk (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=310), Art & Design (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=16), Feedback & Help (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=48) and 3rd Party Projects (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=46) subforums.

zer010
June 29th, 2011, 06:05 PM
It's just one of my stops in roaming the net. The atmosphere is usually pretty laid back and the moderation is decent, unlike some sites I visit. Since I gotten a little better at solving my own problems with *buntu, the Cafe is about the only place I frequent on this forum. It's a nice place to pick up tid-bits of info and opinion. Most times I just lurk, but I'll post whatever catches my interest at the time.

JDShu
June 29th, 2011, 06:11 PM
Actually I can say quite a few good thing about the Cafe, One thing I like is if I find a thread or post that irritates me, I sit down and compose a long reply, then just close the page instead of posting the comment, for me it's a good way of getting rid of some of my frustrations. :) :)

I do this a lot. Of course I always mean to pressing submit, but I end up feeling its not worth it and close the tab.

Elfy
June 29th, 2011, 06:18 PM
I do this a lot. Of course I always mean to pressing submit, but I end up feeling its not worth it and close the tab.

I wish more people would :)

Quadunit404
June 29th, 2011, 06:34 PM
I do this a lot. Of course I always mean to pressing submit, but I end up feeling its not worth it and close the tab.

I am guilty of this too.

handy
June 29th, 2011, 06:49 PM
I wish more people would :)

So we need to see a table showing what percentage of posts are worthless in relation to the various sub-forums.

That would be an extremely interesting set of statistics. :D

Elfy
June 29th, 2011, 07:05 PM
That would be an extremely interesting set of statistics. :D

I'd rather see a before and after if people thought about their post again just before they hit Submit - correlated to the decrease or increase in reported threads/posts.

Perhaps also just before and just after a new 6 month release cycle.

Also perhaps whether the OP has ever posted before - at all.

:)

handy
June 29th, 2011, 07:12 PM
That would be interesting too.

All of a sudden I wish I had access to Google's database. There are so many things I could find out...

Elfy
June 29th, 2011, 07:14 PM
That would be interesting too.

All of a sudden I wish I had access to Google's database. There are so many things I could find out...

:)

All I'm after is another cup of tea and a peaceful life ...

Dragonbite
June 29th, 2011, 07:17 PM
The problem with statistics like this is that it is almost "too" subjective.

Elfy
June 29th, 2011, 07:18 PM
I like my statistics reallly vague so I can ignore them completely,

Dragonbite
June 29th, 2011, 07:27 PM
I like my statistics reallly vague so I can ignore them completely,

Sounds like most Computer magazines (I would say "close enough for government work" but that may be construed as politics ;) )

Elfy
June 29th, 2011, 07:29 PM
Sounds like most Computer magazines (I would say "close enough for government work" but that may be construed as politics ;) )

:) and distrowatch

Anyway - as I said +1 to the other staff responses as I try to drag the thread back to where it was ...

handy
June 29th, 2011, 07:34 PM
:)

All I'm after is another cup of tea and a peaceful life ...

I say each to their own. :-k

But I'm with you all the way on the peaceful life.

May everyone at least have that option.

t0p
June 29th, 2011, 07:48 PM
I'm intrigued by the idea of a cafe that doesn't give you coffee. But I'm more into tea nowadays anyway.

People who want a row but are scared of being punched in the face should go to Usenet newsgroups (my newsreader of choice is pan - no doubt something that would get me flamed on other sites ("Use tin, man, it's all cli and that; you're always extolling the virtues of the console, why don't you ise the damn thing?!")

I remember in one of the harsher newsgroups I sometimes visit, there was this guy posting to someone else, saying "I'm outside your house right now, come on out and get your butt kicked" (the language was a touch bluer than that, but I love this site's CoC and always abide by it).

One thing I like about newsreaders is you can set them to ignore certain posters. I know I should be mature enough to rise above low creatures' levels; but it's like when you're driving a car and some mutt cuts you up - you can call them all the names under the sun and it doesn't matter as the other guy will probably just give you the finger. But it is wise to remember that some folk drive round with a tyre iron on the passenger seat.

Linuxratty
June 29th, 2011, 07:54 PM
. I tried that on a couple of Mac forums before, but politics, cliques, personal attacks, and flamewars caused that to not go so well. The people on the Ubuntu Forums are generally a lot nicer, and the moderation is better.

.

That surprises me..I never thought it would be a big deal for people..
Well I come here cause I like the people and the conversation is always interesting. Sometimes I lurk,sometimes I talk,either way,it's all good.

Dragonbite
June 29th, 2011, 07:55 PM
:)

All I'm after is another cup of tea and a peaceful life ...

I'm more into coffee (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1793087) myself.

odiseo77
June 29th, 2011, 08:04 PM
I use the Community Cafe because some threads are funny, others are interesting, and besides that, it allows me to practice my English skills, so I don't forget the language (even if it's to write -and read- silly stuff) :)

Dry Lips
June 29th, 2011, 08:19 PM
I use the Café because now and then you'll find some very
interesting threads here. Also, this is the section of the forum
where the sense of being part of a community is most prominent.
As Linux users are a minority, I think it goes without saying
that the biggest Linux forum has some section that allows broader
issues to be raised. (Another thing: I don't for a second doubt
that ubuntuforums.org is a big part of the explanation why Ubuntu
is the most popular Linux distribution!)
I wouldn't underestimate this section of the forum just because
it doesn't directly deal with support questions.

The mods that I've been in touch with, come across as very friendly
and polite. I don't always agree with every decision that is made
here, but I'd rather have a forum where the mods are seriously
committed to the community, than a forum where anything goes.
So even if some of you mods sometimes get a little tired, it doesn't
mean that your efforts go unnoticed.

Regards,
Dry Lips :)