OT - what's off-topic (or is this OT)?

[William M. Klein]

In *MY* opinion, anything that is "relevant" to some COBOL programmers' use and
experiences with COBOL and programming or working with COBOL is "on-topic". To
me, that means that issues related to "contracting for COBOL work" is "on-topic"
and that "generic" contracting issues are probably also "on-topic".

I tend to use "semi-OT" for things like CICS, DB2, and JCL - that are
"technical" but not directly related to COBOL. However, when replying to a
technical issue that is NOT directly COBOL related, I do *NOT* change the
subject line to "OT". (I think the same is reasonable for questions on Window
API facilities or Unix shell commands, etc).

Many "do you remember when" or "when I first started programming" threads start
on-topic (or close to on-topic) but often veer off.

As far as "protocol" within CLC threads (like this one), I can view them as
either on or off-toppic.

--
Bill Klein
wmklein <at> ix.netcom.com

[docd...@panix.com]

In article <Gokmk.386370$fz6.2...@fe08.news.easynews.com>,
William M. Klein <wmk...@nospam.netcom.com> wrote:

[snip]

>Many "do you remember when" or "when I first started programming" threads start
>on-topic (or close to on-topic) but often veer off.

Well, this reference to 'thread drift' was posted in 1991... which is
Ancient History in terms of Internet stuff but 'I had it in my hand a
moment ago' in other environments. From
<http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.frp/msg/dca55ad52360c426?dmode=source>

--begin quoted text:

There may not be crossposting, but there is the simple problem of thread
drift. That is, over a series of followup postings to a post, the original
topic has an unfortunate tendancy to get lost, while some new discussion,
hidden under the old topic subject and on the same bboard will go one. You
may be able to keep people from crossposting, but can you guarentee that
someone won't do a followup post about something that happened in a story,
which then turns into a general discussion, with possible source data
stuck in as well?

Sure, *you* may not do it. But the question is whether or not you'll be
able to guarentee that everyone else isn't going to act like this. And you
can't. From my humble experience in watching threads mutate off the
original subject, its going to happen.

--end quoted text

DD