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XDAsite: Please Stop Using the Word "FORA"- It's Ridiculous, Forced, NON-User-Centric

I just saw the post on the Portal Page reminding people about some rules of the site. That was good. However, in the midst of that good message was nomenclature that needs to be retired because it has long since fallen out of common usage all over the world. Please -- The site has finally modernized, can we please kick to the curb the silly, academic use of the word "FORA" and get real?

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Following in my grand tradition of my occasional ridiculous commentry at XDA, let me add this one:

In high school growing up, I tool two years of Latin language, so I am perfectly clear about the tecnically correct singular form of the word FORUM and the technically correct pluralized form of this LATIN term, FORA. Let me just add that I think it is patently ridiculous for anyone in the year 2010 to continue to buck the trend of ordinary people who have rejected that academic technicality long ago, and to just call it what it is: FORUMS.

Nobody but ridiculous academics uses the term FORA... Honestly, just think about it... It sounds more like the friendly bacterial flora in your digestive track that help break down foods and prevent you from having flatulence -- than it sounds like the natural sound for "our mutliple forums".

Must we use such academic terms?

The whole point of "TOUCHSCREENS 2.0" -- was to bow to the USABILITY DESIGN principles of user-centric design. XDA-developers.com would still be using its old forum design, would still be rejecting Samsung, would still be rejecting Motorola, and Sony Erricson, and lastly would still be rejecting the iphone, if it maintained its head-in-the-sand approach of "we are who we are, if you want to play in our backyard, shut up, read the rules, read the FAQa, don't ask stupid questiosn, and wait a year before ever posting" -- which is the mentality that such regimented thinking like "Fora" comes from, in my view.

But wisely, the new site owners saw, correctly, the SEA-CHANGE of the industry that began when the iPhone's unquestionably superior FINGER-NAVIGABLE touchscreen interface put WM's tired old little 6-point checkbox interface you need to hit with a stylus to shame --- transforming the industry overnight. Sure, we could rightly complain about the lockdown system of the iphone and all it lacked -- a LOT -- and focus and hail the openness of WM and its accessibilty to DEVS to create the magic XDA-developers built its reputation on... But the fact is, the iPhone WOKE UP the industry -- and not a moment too soon.

It was RIDICULOUS to have to have the WM phone 6-8 inches away and have a stylus chained to your device in order to place a phone call or add a contact. HTC took cues immediately and for the next few years SAVED Microsoft's sweet ass by introducing TOUCH-FLO and doing all the UI layer changes that Microsoft (dumbass Ballmer) stubbornly refused to do because they were so ****-sure they were the leaders and no one could dethrone them.

Yeah. Until they were dethroned. Then they lost two whole years of selling as they faded from marketplace relevance. And I'm suggesting that that is what obsolescent and calcified thinking PRODUCES. Just carrying on old thinking processes because -- either (a) we've always done it that way, or (b) "we know best, we're in charge". Both are wrong and lead to consumer revolt.

Let's drop this ridiculous "FORA" usage. No one in the mainstream uses it, because it's ridiculous. Sure, you can find it at http://FORA.tv -- a fantastic service -- but that's their BRAND name, it's not their nomenclature for their forum structure. Say what you will, call them dumb, cal them uneducated, big deal: but the international consumer marketplace doesn't care one bit about Latin plurality rules. Nor should you, nor should we. Give it up and join the 21st century, please.

THE REST OF THE XDA SITE HAS. They modernized. They finally took queus from the world that had been passing them buy -- and modernized -- and in a short time -- way less than a year -- completely upgraded XDA with a smart portal news page, tied to twitter, etc. (great job svetius and writing team!)

And so to cling to that bygone era artifact seems silly. Dump it, and just get practical please. It's user-centric design. Users hate fora. Fora is silly. They use the word Forums. So should this site.

Thank you for your consideration!

Love,

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