Hi, everyone,
So apparently the list software died back in October, and none of us
really noticed until this month. Or, if people noticed, nobody
mentioned it until this month. It took a while to get in touch with
someone who could get the software restarted, but I'm told it's back up.
If you're reading this, then yes, it's back up.
This hiatus and its lack of observance has led me to wonder about
the utility of css-discuss, and whether it needs to continue. There are
a lot of other venues for discussing CSS these days, and most of the
reason for this list existing-- to help people figure out how CSS
worked, and fix problems-- is covered much more compellingly by sites
like StackOverflow. The resources that used to support css-d, like the
public archive and the wiki, have fallen into disuse or disrepair over
the years. In general, there's a faded feeling here, at least for me.
Thus, I'm now pondering three courses of action:
1. Shut down the list. To all good things, etc. This obviously
abandons those who still prize having a mailing list, but that number
seems very small. Almost all the discussion in the months leading up to
the hiatus was conducted between a small number of subscribers. Of
course, a new list could be started by someone else.
2. Hand the list off to someone else, to guide as they see fit.
This involves the very difficult task of finding someone who's
interested, and making a good choice. This is the least appealing of
the three, honestly, because of the possibility of getting things wrong.
3. Convert the list from "Practical discussions of CSS and its use"
to more general discussion about anything CSS-related. That would
include theoretical musings, discussion of what CSS should or shouldn't
be, where it should go in the future, the general theory of CSS, and so
on. I'm less inclined to go this route, as there are other places to
grapple with the deeper issues of CSS (like www-style, not to mention
blogs and social media).
At this point, perhaps due to pride and ego but perhaps simply due to
feeling that the time has come, I'm leaning toward option 1. January
24, 2016, will be the 14th anniversary of the list. That leaves a month
to either settle on a different course of action, or else to plan a
shutdown.
If anyone has strong feelings that it should be one of the other two
options, or a fourth option I didn't list, feel free to let me know
off-list. I may not be able to respond to every message, but I will
read them all. I expect to make a final decision on or before January
10, 2016. Whatever I decide, I'll announce it here.
--
Eric A. Meyer - http://meyerweb.com/
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