yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[About XDA developers] Sleepy!:
@Pulser... indeed... I was afraid the logistics of such a thing might make it impossible to implement... :(
[About XDA developers] undercover:
Pulser, in both Sensation and N4 traffic in Q&A isn't that huge really.

And I remember discussion about sandbox in RC. It was discussed in depth, and yes, it it wouldn't work.

Sent from my fridge. Make:LG Model:N4
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
:rolleyes::rolleyes: Trolling has adverse effects, trolling yourself is one of many.
[About XDA developers] roofrider:
True, never said it was redundant.

I'm all for one Help Thread in Q/A, it really helps.
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
Pulser's got a point. Imagine all the threads in Q&A section being merged into one. That's a huge mess.
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
Well, then the reason for the lack of use of Q&A is what we need to address...

We've successfully used the Q&A model for years now, for people to ask questions. If people don't use it, we should first focus on making the existing system work.

Yes, sandboxing just cannot work on here. We cannot automate it or people share ways round it and cheats to it. So it would need to be manual, and it will never work, so it just can't work...
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
Yup... I have no idea how anyone would EVER find their answer, or indeed even find a question...

Part of the reason for Q&A areas is to make sure people can effectively search. With one thread that's much harder.
[About XDA developers] Sleepy!:
Well let's think of a more popular device... GS2 or GS3 say...

I can imagine the sheer no of people spamming those boards...

Motorola Defy (my old phone) is really OLD and yet people post around 15-25 questions a day... questions that have already been answered in 3 FAQ threads, 2 AIO guides, 1 wiki page and the Dev's ROM thread.

Sometimes the answer is in the TITLE of the ROM thread...

So I can imagine how having one thread for all these questions would be counter productive... the real issues would get drowned by the deluge of questions with obvious answers.

With a board, the obvious questions get answered, and that thread dies, while the serious issues can remain alive...
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
To get people to use the QA section, i suggested something a while back,

Might help cut down in some way atleast.
[About XDA developers] Sleepy!:
^^I just did. :eek::eek:

---------- Post added at 05:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:26 PM ----------

People just ignore that. They find ways around it. :rolleyes:
[About XDA developers] roofrider:
Wait, it's confusing.

Q/A is staying, why merging is coming into picture?

Isn't one 'Help Thread' sticky in Q/A is what all you guys are talking about? Or is it a Help subforum containing all the guides?
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
Even after such restrictions, if people ignore it, warnings and infractions could be given.. :eek:
[About XDA developers] undercover:
Well, judging from all the comments..

Everything stays as it was but users also would like to see a Help Thread per device.

So then back to my initial post, can that happen? One such thread per device mandatory? Then when users switch devices they (well, at least some of them) will know where to seek for help first of all.

Sent from my fridge. Make:LG Model:N4
[About XDA developers] Fallen Spartan:
Just a thought, create a new site called XDB, transfer all good things over to it, best devs, tutorials, guides etc, start from scratch and then we can monitor more closely who is let in, maybe by invite only or only a certain amount per day allowing the mod team to look into them. We could then have a sort've test for new users to ensure the users know a bit or two before we grant them access.

Obviously keep XDA going and let it turn upside down while we all feck off to XDB :good::laugh:
[About XDA developers] Sleepy!:
:victory::victory::victory:

DO IT RIGHT NOW.

One does feel like that at times. :rolleyes:

Side note: Sometimes 8 thanks/day is just not enough.
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
I +1 this. :cool:
[About XDA developers] undercover:
It's all being thrown in for consideration. So far I agree with Pulser, it should stay as it is, but (and I'm repeating myself here, sorry) many users seem to find Help Thread useful, so I'm trying to see if it's possible to make it come from authorities consistently rather than to rely on a user to start one.

Sent from my fridge. Make:LG Model:N4
[About XDA developers] roofrider:
Exactly +1.

I usually look for such a thread to have my doubts cleared when switching from Sammy to Sony.

But i believe such a thread should also be maintained by the OP to an extent.
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
Sounds like you're looking for http://xxxda-developers.com/ :p
[About XDA developers] Sleepy!:
In short,

A sticky 'OFFICIAL HELP THREAD'... 1 per device, 1 responsible OP (Moderator as OP, perhaps?) and a small team of people ready to guide noobs.

Srsly, what's the harm in giving it a shot?

Especially in the high volume fora.

---------- Post added at 05:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:36 PM ----------

Under construction. :rolleyes::(
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
The idea of the 8 thanks is to stop "gaming" of it. Thanks are valueless if people can just thank every post. By limiting it, thanks actually might have some consideration.

On the average day, I probably use 1-2 of my "thanks" allocation. And I think I can thank more than 8, I'm not sure, as I never needed to... The thanks button isn't REALLY a +1 button... There's no reason to limit use of a "+1". But with thanks, if you can just use it as you want, it would reduce its significance from "really pretty low" to "zero". (as let's be honest, thanks is too often an e-peen for people, and I dislike that)
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
I know it's under construction... Because I made the holding page :)
[About XDA developers] Prawesome:
I was more thinking along the line of creating multi help threads.Less mess and more specufic.Like, development help, accessory help, general phone help..

What then? Better or the same issues?

Why do you think we have an app? :rolleyes::p

You own the domain too, right? I think we once talked about it in RC, and the topic was this :p

"Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense." -Gertrude Stein
[About XDA developers] cwhitney24:
Wow you guys talk a lot in here LMAO.

Since this is a recommendation thread, here is something that has been on my mind.

One xda suggestion I've always had in my head is the idea of xda testing new people before joining and posting. Like a search test. If it were possible to do, each new person would be given 5-10 random questions that could only be answered by searching xda. They don't search and answer the questions, ip is blocked for a week.

Also, maybe change the title system up a bit. I have seen several times some people get defensive over being reminded about the rules. They feel that being a "senior member" entitles them to something. Maybe move the senior title up to 500 posts or something like that.

(And handing out free bacon wouldn't hurt just sayin) :D:D:thumbup::thumbup:

Sent from the Bacon Pope's Galaxy Note 2
[About XDA developers] Jonny:
Egz the original one undercover posted in sensation forum I don't think anyone has ever trolled/flamed in there (because everyone is terrified of him? :silly :D )

Edit ok I'm behind a bit, read pulsar's posts and I agree merging all Q&A into 1 thread wouldn't work
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
Regarding Q&A, I took a look at the Note 2...

There are more posts in the Q&A forum than the Original Android Dev forum...

As such, I reckon the Q&A forum system is meeting its purpose. As a general trend it seems they are being used.
[About XDA developers] Sleepy!:
Welcome to the party, bro.

You're late. :rolleyes:

We just talked about something very similar.

Not possible. :(

Read Pulser and my last few posts. :D

People should read before they post. :p ;)
[About XDA developers] undercover:
Nah, i'm a softy really :D

I think it's all about maintaining a positive attitude. People seem to forget about it. Especially daunting it is when negative vibe comes from senior members and especially RCs. But that is a different issue and I'm not going down this route in this thread.

Agree (not that it makes any difference :D)

That's why I like a good discussion, at least we have come to an understanding why it wouldn't work, and you guys have few more people that understand the reasons why and will advocate that decision shall anyone ever ask.

I hate being pain in the bottom, but what about per Help Thread per device? It hasn't really been answered.

Sent from my fridge. Make:LG Model:N4
[About XDA developers] cwhitney24:
LMAO hush. I indulged in to many adult beverages last night haha.

But glad to be here

Sent from the Bacon Pope's Galaxy Note 2
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
Could you define the difference between a help thread and a Q&A thread?

Aren't they the same? The help thread is just for people to say "ZOMG MY PHONE IS BORKED HLAP ME AFTER UPDATE"?

But that's a question. I really don't think there will be many help threads that are not questions belonging in their own thread in Q&A.

Also, the risk of one help thread is people trying to copy what other people do if they don't realise not every post is meant for them (yeah sounds stupid, but a lot of people are not familiar with how forums work)
[About XDA developers] undercover:
I think you misunderstand the purpose of it.

Read the op in it. It's basically a quick stop cafe to get directions, with actually a positive attitude to noobs and their questions no matter how stupid or clever they are.

There is no such thing as a stupid question is a mantra there.

1. Instead of opening a new thread with "how do I install" a rom, he posts there and gets an answer in a friendly manner. Very often a noob will start a thread, no one answers him, he then pops in and gets help. I strongly believe next time he will do just that (go straight to help thread instead of starting a new one) if one is available in a new device or even in the current device forum.

2. Instead of being flamed users are patiently explained what needs to be done and how to be more efficient at looking for things. Education.

3. People that follow that thread learn a lot by monitoring/helping. Proven fact.

4. If someone makes a mistake in giving wrong advice someone is always close by to correct him.

Edit. No difference really. It is still Q&A, but it's all about how it's handled and the end result (education). It's what you do with your XDA-U but in the wild, live.

Sent from my fridge. Make:LG Model:N4
[About XDA developers] electricsheepdreamer:
*akhm* fix XDA premium issues *akhm*:cool:
[About XDA developers] conantroutman:
That's Tapatalks department not ours. :p

Anyway, recent versions have been a lot better.

Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.....
[About XDA developers] undercover:
They still allow unlimited +1 :D

Sent from my fridge. Make:LG Model:N4
[About XDA developers] TonyStark R.I.P.:
Fallen Spartan The (to be specific) AT&T SGS3 section is what this topic is regarding. I have written indexes for the Captivate, sgs2 and sgs3. I find it is not solely a user issue. The Captivate section was a forum that was on the learning curve of XDA users (for Samsung phones). It introduced new Android users at an alarming rate. During this time Original Mods were willing to help users learn how to .. hold your breath ... mod!

When this phone was at it's pinnacle and heading to a stall point, a influx of developers (developer wanna be's) started to crop up.

Intro to the SGS2. This started fresh with some original devs still in the Samsung arena and a whole new group of developers. This new group had a little more edginess to them. There was some development/developers that was starting to raise the ire of the mods. It was new for any of us to see mods at odds w/ more then just users... Developers were taken to task now too. To quash the goings on Q&A was implemented as the section to alleviate the influx of "noobs" While this worked for a period of time it was becoming apparent that the new developers had less tolerance of noobs asking questions. The SGS2 section also started to become a communal/chat forum. It became confusing to the average noob what was allowed and what was not. Their were threads that questions could be asked w/ little to no jousting and then there were those that made it clear to bring it to Q&A... The confusion mounts

Here comes the GSG3 and we're loaded for bear! We're now on a 4th to 5th generation of new developers. It seemed anybody the could use SDK could now create a rom I think between the SGS2 and SGS3 the moderating team had there hands full (both developer moderating and forum moderating) with a exponential # of mods wanting to come on board. I noticed a difference in the average user over the past few years within XDA.. It seemed many felt an entitlement to arguing w/ developers and vise versa. While development continues herethe line is rather clear either you read everything or don't post! Q&A has become the section that seems to be lost. Still used but not as intended. During this time OT started to crop up. Once again the hope was to draw ot conversation from development to an appropriate, designated area. OT has become something of misfit on how far can you push the limit. These limit pushers are showing their presents more and more within the development sections.

During this entire change I have come to know many mods. I find this group the most abused folks on XDA. While they are moderators, they seem more like mediators. They are scoffed at for doing their job.

OT and the Mods: I have been in many of the off topic sections and I would be as bold to say all but 3 have had to be wiped clean by a mod and the mod asking to clean up and move on. It would be interesting to see if there is a ban list by section. My guess would be, that the majority is coming from OT sections.

---------- Post added at 09:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 AM ----------

hahaha yes they are... see my post above
[About XDA developers] Prawesome:
So...anything about this?

"Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense." -Gertrude Stein
[About XDA developers] Fallen Spartan:
I'm sure we could. I'll pass this on to the portal admin.....or alert him to this post
[About XDA developers] egzthunder1:
Well, let me just put it that way. There will likely not be an official stance on something like this, meaning that no mod will open a dedicated thread for Help nor maintaining it/them. However, if you (or anyone) feel that you want to help others by adding a thread in either General or Q&A, I would gladly sticky it for as long as the OP decides to maintain it.

In other words, we would not move/close/delete such thread as it does serve a purpose and it is related to the device. However, keep in mind that mods will likely not be "manning" the thread other than with the usual request for clean up.
[About XDA developers] undercover:
Ok. Clear answer. Thank you.

I just wanted some consistency over all devices. I guess you (authorities) do not value them threads as much as we (users) do. Not sulking or being negative, just stating my conclusion. :)

Anyway. Done.

Neeeeeeeext! :D

Sent from my fridge. Make:LG Model:N4
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
Next? Erm...Bring back the thanks button in OT? :crying:
[About XDA developers] garyd9:
Catching up...

Q&A section (vs single help thread):

Please leave it with a Q&A section. As well as providing a way for users to ask quick questions, it provides more experienced users a quick way to provide quick questions. When I have a free 5 or 10 minutes between other things, I occassionally browse the Q&A sections for posts with no replies to help out. The thread titles often give hints of the questions without having to open them, and wasteful (spam) threads quickly scroll off the thread list. I doubt I'm the only one who does this.

If all of those posts were in a single massive thread, I assure you that I'd never look at it. I'm not going to navigate my way through pages of wanna-be-know-it-alls (who are clueless), clueless people who refuse to search, people who insist on posting spam like "thank you" and so-on. As well, I wouldn't wish moderating something like that on my worst enemy. ;)

This isn't just about making it easy for the users asking help - this is also about making it easy for some of the people who are GIVING the help.

OT Thread:

I thought this topic was dead. One said "one per device" and another said "up to the device's Mod team." Personally, even though I'm not fond of the OT threads, I prefer the first answer (as it gives a predictable result) but I get the impression that the second response will stand.

RD status:

I think the developer committee is reviewing older RD's. If there's a person who is an RD that you feel shouldn't be (and can demonstrate why), I'd suggest sending a PM to the leader of the dev committee or perhaps someone listed under "developer representation" on the forum admin/mod team list:(https://docs.google.com/a/xda-devel...T3EHCqgM/edit?hl=en_GB&authkey=CIWz1JkM&pli=1)

Keep in mind that there might be things about a given RD you aren't aware of. For example, some people are major contributors to larger projects (such as cyangenmod) posted here on XDA (even if they don't post 20 zip-ROMs each month.)

egzthunder1:

I still owe you a PM. I haven't forgotten, but I need a span of an hour or so to collect my thoughts before I do it (and getting a span of more than 15 minutes hasn't been possible in the past 24 hours.)

Take care

Gary
[About XDA developers] egzthunder1:
Oh no... we do value them. The difference is that we cannot support and/or maintain them as it was suggested it to be. But anything that helps others is certainly welcome by all of us.... makes our life simpler :)
[About XDA developers] egzthunder1:
No worries... I've been busy as well... as for the OT thing, you are correct, the second stance will remain. It will be made clear by the respective mod teams in their areas so that it is predictable... well, it will literally be spelled out, so if you create an OT thread on a section that clearly states "don't"... you have no one to blame other than yourself :p (not you as in you, but a general you)...

The QA thing, I pretty much defined our stance a few posts up.

Lastly, RDs will be reviewed. The one we were told about this morning has been stripped from the title. I can only blame that to be a glitch in our system... but it has been taken care of. We will go through the current RD lists to weed out some more mistakes, but this may/will take time.
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
Oh noes, worst place to spam for your 10 posts :eek:

Also, i saw this : http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2054569

So, wanted to ask..can we have themes from XDA itself? Like a dark and light theme for the existing XDA 2010 and XDA 2013 styles?
[About XDA developers] garyd9:
500+ posts before this one, and I wonder which one he is agreeing with. Stuff like that is actually somewhat common for newer users - they hit a reply button (without quote) without realizing that nothing ties their reply to whatever they replied to. Even more experienced users do that on occasion.

Not sure if this is possible, but perhaps "quick reply" should insert something identifying which post is being replied to?
[About XDA developers] egzthunder1:
This was the worst possible thread a 10 post spammer could have chosen to post in....
[About XDA developers] undercover:
And here is a next suggestion. Anyone that stupid should be banned immediately :D

I mean it only takes to have a quick glance at the colours of usernames....

Sent from my fridge. Make:LG Model:N4
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
Y U NO see the suggestion below it? :(
[About XDA developers] boborone:
This is now an xda town hall.

egztunder1 said

jk, seen em in the past, and this is reminiscent
[About XDA developers] egzthunder1:
Well,

I know that Forum Runner gives you the option to do light/dark and I believe the xda app does as well. As for the site, we have a few themes available. But you have to keep in mind that making a theme for the site normally takes a lot of time and resources, even if it is only a small change. You have to make sure that all your plugins work correctly, etc etc...

We could definitely pass this along, but I am not sure if it will be implemented tbh. Then again, it may be a simple change, so I don't know...
[About XDA developers] egzthunder1:
Ahh... my specialty :)

Kinda looks like one now that you mention it :)
[About XDA developers] TonyStark R.I.P.:
Just sitting idly by, waiting for Fallen Spartan to finally say "that's enough, thread closed"!

Amazing how people expect so much from children... but can't follow direction themselves:mad:
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
For the app, there are themes available, but yeah, i'm talking about the website.

Yup, i don't know what goes in making a theme but i'm sure someone could help make a theme for the XDA website and you could then implement a theme option into the site itself.

Would be great to have it, thanks for deciding to pass it along :)
[About XDA developers] cwhitney24:
Yeah I reported a guy the other day that was posting the quoted 10 post rule in several threads just to get his 10 posts.

Then he pms me saying the rule is bs. That annoys me...

Sent from the Bacon Pope's Galaxy Note 2
[About XDA developers] conantroutman:
Oh god, don't encourage him..... :p :D

He won't because that's my cue to start posting spiderman pics... :rolleyes:

(anyone posting spiderman/ponies will be instantly banned, not even kidding)

You could always install Stylebot (other web page tweaking doodads are available) and do it for us? :p

As EZ mentioned, full on themes for the site generally take a long time and effort to get to a point where they are not only aesthetically pleasing but also don't cause the functionality of the site to derp completely.
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
Banned for how long? :rolleyes:

Yup, i know, can take a lot of work and time, but just a suggestion.. :)
[About XDA developers] garyd9:
The logical conclusion to that is a simple google search: http://fim.413chan.net/art/src/129936631085-Spider-PonyWIP.jpg (really hoping the forum doesn't change this link to an embedded image)
[About XDA developers] conantroutman:
Something like the thread you linked to can be acheived relativly easily and even a buffoon like me can do it so if you just wanted a few simple tweaks made to the way the site looks then I'd suggest giving it a go for yourself, it's quite addictive once you get going.

I'm just thinking back to how much work and testing and more work and more testing (rinse and repeat) went into the new themes even before they were made public. Even then there were still a lot of tweaks to be made. Due to sheer size and added functionality of the site making such changes aren't as simple as they would be on a regular VBulletin based forum unfortunately.

Not sure if I've ever banned an RD before...

Oh well, first time for everything. :D :p
[About XDA developers] roofrider:
I just reported someone on this thread, hope i don't get banned for it.
[About XDA developers] K.A.:
Yes i know, i did use that theme and it's nice, but what i'm suggesting is XDA itself implementing a theme as you mentioned in the latter part of your post. Well if everybody(admins) likes the idea, i think something could be worked out, however long it may take.. :)

---------- Post added at 11:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:10 PM ----------

I heard someone reported this thread itself :silly:
[About XDA developers] roofrider:
I did something even worse. :silly: