Split This Forum?

[dilettante]

We seem to be getting a mixed bag of issues here. VBScript is good for a lot of things, so we get questions from all over the place.

I have identifed a number of "domains" in which VBScript has uses:
[ul][li]Active Server Pages (dynamic web sites)
[li]DHTML Client Pages (web pages)
[li]Desktop mini applications (.VBS, .WSH)
[li]Desktop/network administration
[li]Scriptable application suites (Office)
[/ul]I was wondering if the users of this forum might be interested in persuing a "split?"

For example, there already is a "Microsoft: Active Server Pages (ASP)" forum that really should be getting a lot of the questions that end up coming to this forum.

Personally I think it would help if the ASP forum were renamed "VBScript: Active Server Pages (ASP)."

I would then take this forum, divide it, and call it something like "VBScript: Desktop Scripting" and "VBScript: Dynamic HTML."

The few ASPers using Javascript or Perl... well they can hang out in the renamed ASP forum for all I care, but the vast majority of ASP is done in VBScript. But as it is now a lot of ASP questions seem to get dumped in here instead.

I guess my thinking is that people (all of us) would be able to get to a better-focused forum to get our questions answered.

Other thoughts? Brickbats? Bouquets? Flames? Let's open this up for discussion.

 

[hithere]

like the idea. by desktop scripting..would that be client side stuff where the other would be server side?

 

[disord3r]

The more specialized the better. So long as everyone knows where things are supposed to go.

 

[dilettante]

I guess what I was thinking of when I said "desktop scripting" was script code written to run:

In wscript.exe
In cscript.exe
In IE as an HTML Application (HTA)
In products like the Office suite.

This would cover VBScript for platform/network administration purposes, little "helper" VBScripts to perform utility tasks like munging files, Office "macros" done in VBScript, basically anything NOT directly web related.

I'd probably put "client-side" web scripting into "DHTML scripting" - a category of its own. A very good case could be made for puttting HTAs here too, but since the purpose of HTAs is for making desktop applications rather than for interactive client-side web documents... well this might be a coin toss for me. The problem with HTAs is that they are hosted in IE, and use intermixed HTML and script code, and are written almost exactly like a DHTML client-side page - but they work more like wscript scripts with a better user interface than MsgBox/InputBox, and they don't (have to) work with a web server to do actual work. 'Course they CAN work with a web server, as a VB program can when using something like the WinInet Control or even the Winsock Control.

For "server side" web scripting... well where better than the existing ASP forum? I realize a few people write Active Server Pages in JScript - but darned few. And even less do ASP in Perl or an add-on scripting language. This is why I'd advocate renaming the "Microsoft: Active Server Pages (ASP)" forum something like "VBSCript: ASP" instead.

Some of the ASP forum people seem a little unhappy with that idea, but I can't imagine why. A lot of ASP developers seems to think of it as "VBScript programming" anyway.

I also agree with disord3r that divisions don't make sense unless they make sense - i.e. unless everybody can mostly figure out what issues go where.

 

[hithere]

another couple of thoughts...a link at the top...maybe next to (across from) the start a new thread link that says..."about this forum" that brings up a page detailing what the intent of that forum is to be used for? or possibly a screen when you first enter a forum that does that (maybe set a cookie so it's only viewed once or once a week or month or something so it's a reminder). also, moving the "related forums" box up above the poll box. that would give it greater visibility and possibly someone posting might see it and realize that there's a better forum to post in? don't know but maybe. another thought, maybe another tab (as appropriate by forum) for code snips? I know you've got links to snips in the links tab but...
mb
:-0