Rename This Forum?

[dilettante]

We seem to be finding a lot of lost souls over in the VBScript forum who really ought to be coming here instead.

Not only are they getting poor advice at times from desktop VBScripters, when there is a good issue and good answers the rest of the ASP users here don't get the benefit.

Over at thread329-222664 I pose the question of perhaps dividing the existing VBScript forum into "VBScript: Desktop" and "VBScript: DHTML" forums, and further having this forum renamed "VBScript: ASP" to help people actually find it more easily.

Please follow the link and comment. There is no point even persuing this if it will make matters worse than they are.

 

[dilettante]

Here is am example of what I mean folks. See thread329-222260

 

[link9]

Well, yes, but strictly speaking, ASP isn't just vbScript.

 

[dilettante]

Of course link9, that's exactly why I suggest two or even three VBScript forms:
[ul][li]ASP
[li]DHTML
[li]Desktop[/ul]
Some might want to narrow it to two: Desktop and Web.

As it is we seem to get a lot of "orphaned" ASP questions in the existing VBScript forum however. I just think that ASP-related questions might get quicker and better-quality answers in this forum, and other ASPers can benefit from seeing those Q/As in their proper context.

Here are a few recent threads from VBScript:

thread329-222260
thread329-221340
thread329-215427
thread329-217537
thread329-217832
thread329-219003
thread329-217110
thread329-202549

All of these might have been handled better over here, but people just don't seem to be able to find this forum right now. Perhaps because of the obscure name Microsoft: Active Server Pages (ASP) ?

I even had one guy get cranky when I suggested the ASP forum might help him - 'cause "ASP means Application Service Provider and what does that have to do with my question - I'm usin' VBScript!"

I'm fully aware that some brave souls write their ASP pages in JScript or Perl or Fujitsu Cobol for that matter. You have to admit this is unusual though, and that for 99% (probably more) of ASP development ASP means VBScript.

I'm just trying to help bring a little order out of chaos ;-) and I do appreciate any discussion of this issue.

One of the biggest problems Tek-Tips has (besides the Search which is almost useless) is in indexing the forums and labeling them well. There used to be a forum called something like Microsoft WinHelp API that was intended to help authors of Windows Help for desktop applications. It ended up being full of questions seeking "Help on Windows APIs" - to the point that the people writing WinHelp were giving up!

That forum surrendered, was renamed Win API (Microsoft), and the Help users moved to a merger with a forum that was originally called Microsoft: HTMLHelp Authoring and which in turn got renamed something more generic about "Help Authoring." {For those who aren't aware, there are two major Microsoft Help authoring systems for desktop applications.}

The other solution to this problem with ASPers lost over in VBScript - the one suggested by Tek-Tips management by the way - is to red-flag 'em for removal! They are damned serious about this. Tek-Tips is supposed to be a professional forum site, and it is not intended or marketed as a newbie site. Personally I don't even see that as a last resort.

If some guy who's never worn shoes in his life ("I ain't writin' no ASP, I'm writin' VBScript - now tell me all about this here Request.ServerVariables thang&quot comes on Tek-Tips I would much rather see him red-flagged by an ASP forum regular than a VBScript forum regular.

Kind of a "shoot your own dog" thing, you know?

Don't you love exaggeration to make a point?