Worth suggesting a "how i did it" forum?

Neeves said:
I applaud posts on electronics for 'things marine' - whether I'm interested or not - PBO is a sensible vehicle - but suggesting that YBW host a site for non marine electronics seems .....bizarre
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I am not making a suggestion on discussing electronics not related to sailing - that's a simple misunderstanding on your part perhaps resulting from my lack of clarity. By not necessary for sailing all I meant was that you can still enjoy sailing without it. A good example of that is my outboard engine rev counter and hour meter project from many moons ago, which someone called pointless instigating the YAPP acronym. No-one needs that information, but the means of obtaining and displaying it may be of interest to some.
 
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GHA said:
It was a mistake joining in again....... :(
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I don’t think so.

But… I wouldn’t welcome more fragmentation of forums on this site, because I think it’s important to have a critical mass of observers and participants in order to keep a forum vibrant.

As an example, I’m a member of PCGB (Porsche Club GB - maybe should be changed to UK but then the abbreviation might look a bit rude) which has a lively membership and a good media presence.

However, its forums are fragmented to the nth degree. Pretty much down to having a separate sub-forum for those who are interested in the toolkit that only came with cars produced between 1977 and 1979 of which there are only three participants, two of whom are fully taken up with hunting for a missing 9mm spanner whilst the third posts and then wonders why there is never any reaction.
 
A
Neeves said:
My apologies

I had thought the focus was on electronics for leisure marine use. If the electronics are for other purposes, including personal gratification, I fail to see why the would be aired (at all) on YBW.

Silly me

Jonathan
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Your reply is not necessary and is sarcastic. Why?
 
Beneteau381 said:
A

Your reply is not necessary and is sarcastic. Why?
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Might I quote Angus, again.

I find it difficult to misunderstand the quotation.

Quote

That's fine. Good for you. However, you miss the point of these projects. They are not necessary to go sailing. They might not add to the sailing experience in any way.

unquote

The thrust seemed to be

We raise the idea that there should be a separate section of the forum for electronic devices - that may have nothing to do with sailing. If Angus was not clear he had plenty of time to ammmend his post.

It seems Angus wants a section supported by a sailing magazine, and I don't suppose the support is free, so that he can discuss the intricacies of electronic design - for devices that may have nothing to do with sailing. GHA in his opening post mentioned that there is already a forum dedicated to such developments - where members can discuss issues.

There was no sarcasm intended - I took Angus' post at its face value.

Angus post where he described in considerable detail one of his devices solicited minimal replies - suggesting people are not interested. I have no objection, at all, to Angus posting nor on people being interested making replies. But I see no justification to set up a separate subsection, independent of PBO and I see no justification for funds from YBW being focussed to support electronic devices for non marine application.


What I found fascinating that though I took Angus' post at face value - and he admits he was not clear - he blamed me for my misinterpretation (and then would prefer that I support the idea). This is a new take on engendering support.

Jonathan
 
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Neeves said:
I find it difficult to misunderstand the quotation.
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You may, however, have succeeded :)
Neeves said:
The thrust seemed to be

We raise the idea that there should be a separate section of the forum for electronic devices - that may have nothing to do with sailing.
[…]
It seems Angus wants a section supported by a sailing magazine, and I don't suppose the support is free, so that he can discuss the intricacies of electronic design - for devices that may have nothing to do with sailing. GHA in his opening post mentioned that there is already a forum dedicated to such developments - where members can discuss issues.
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it was GHA who raised the idea, not AngusMcDoon.

The idea wasn’t necessarily about electronics, it was about projects. I believe this was to separate them out from matters of opinion and non-practical stuff which has crept into the PBO forum, but that’s where I disagree: I say projects belong in PBO and things like flag etiquette should be relocated.

As more than one poster has been trying to emphasise, there’s a difference between “not essential” and “unrelated”. These are very much sailing projects. You said they weren’t necessary for your sailing. AngusMcDoon agreed, then you made the (incorrect) leap to “nothing to do with”.

The forum GHA referred to is for a specific piece of software and used as an example only. His proposal for a subforum here was more general (and not, I believe, necessarily dedicated to electronics).

These forums aren’t provided “for free”. They provide publicity and content for the related magazines and generate advertising revenue. Creating a subforum using the (free) software they use is not a Herculean task.
 
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Neeves said:
... the idea that there should be a separate section of the forum for electronic devices - that may have nothing to do with sailing.
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The proposal was for a section about how folks did something, it was not limited to electronics only, I assume, because that limitation was not stated. I believe GHA was only using his example of an electronic project as an example of how he did something. I think it is pretty clear that both GHA and AMcD projects were boat related.

If anyone is to blame for thread drift it should be me, as I criticised the GHA project in the context of a specialised forum, as GHA could not even explain what the project was for, at least in manner that could whet folks appetite. That was my main reason for thinking that the OP idea was no use.

Lets expand the proposal a bit, imagine you had developed a way to measure anchor rode tension with an algorithm that predicted the probability of anchor drag increasing. You could write up a project and place it in a specialised form about how you did it. Leaving folks to copy it or contact you, without the need to answer lots of posts that drift the subject. Sure, I am using another electronic example, but thats not the point.
 
laika said:
it was GHA who raised the idea, not AngusMcDoon.
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It has been proposed before and I have argued against it, because experience from other forums shows that minority interest sub-forums tend to die. It's only Neeves who thinks that I made the proposal.

laika said:
As more than one poster has been trying to emphasise, there’s a difference between “not essential” and “unrelated”. These are very much sailing projects. You said they weren’t necessary for your sailing. AngusMcDoon agreed, then you made the (incorrect) leap to “nothing to do with”.
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I have always been open that they are unnecessary for sailing and there have been many laughs over the years regarding this, including the origin of the YAPP* acronym. However, they have always been boat related, and all have found their way on to my boat for at least a short time. I have never posted, or suggested that anyone else should, about non boat related projects here. It's only Neeves who persists with these misunderstandings. Everyone else gets it.

*Yet Another Pointless Project, for anyone who doesn't know. The origin is the Unix utility Yet Another Compiler Compiler and a poster who labelled (correctly) one of my early projects pointless. Later I tried to convince people that it was a portmanteau of Yacht APP, but no-one was convinced, and the projects' pointlessness moniker remained.
 
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I am more than happy to stand corrected on a number of points.

My sincere apologies to anyone who felt offended.

I am more than happy to have offered an unusual vehicle for Angus to become better known.

I admire what he does (that does not mean I find them of value to me - I can admire and ignore)

Jonathan
 
Neeves said:
I am more than happy to have offered an unusual vehicle for Angus to become better known.
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I don't know if you have been here long enough, but if you have, you may remember that I used to make and sell some of my projects. I made and sent out over 800 in total over a few years, all round the world, all assembled, and at cost. However, it was taking too much of my time, so I stopped doing it, but still get requests to supply years later. Therefore your assumption that for some reason I want more publicity or to become better known is incorrect. I simply stated above that there's less interest in the projects than there used to be. That was a statement of fact as I see it, not a call for more publicity.

I do them for my own interest and self training (it's my job as well), not to become famous. It's good if other people find them useful or are interested and want to discuss them, but that's secondary motivation.
 
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I support the view that the forum should contain practical information on repairs, improvements and purchases. And that at times these will be detailed and technical (and useful).

The challenge for me is accessing the useful information via search. Sometimes a factual title hides a wealth of not useful opinion, or 8 pages of which 3 posts are useful. I don't know when, for example, my alternator might need attention. So the search is important.

Overall its a valuable source of information alongside you tube and other sources. Keep posting facts!
 
AngusMcDoon said:
I don't know if you have been here long enough, but if you have, you may remember that I used to make and sell some of my projects. I made and sent out over 800 in total over a few years, all round the world, all assembled, and at cost. However, it was taking too much of my time, so I stopped doing it, but still get requests to supply years later. Therefore your assumption that for some reason I want more publicity or to become better known is incorrect. I simply stated above that there's less interest in the projects than there used to be. That was a statement of fact as I see it, not a call for more publicity.

I do them for my own interest and self training (it's my job as well), not to become famous. It's good if other people find them useful or are interested and want to discuss them, but that's secondary motivation.
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It seems your interests in electronics might match, in character, some of my interests 'sharing' for example - maybe we are more similar than different :)

I might have been here long enough but your name fell under the radar (apologies). Life is too short to take note of everything and be interested in that same everything.

Sadly, or not, electronic devices - unless focussed to my selfish interests - are not high in my priorities. Raymarine, Navico et al satisfy my needs.

Jonathan
 
The idea of a forum of "how I did it " has real merit. Many of the car forums have similar.

Once the post is put up only "peer review is allowed" (in case the thing is dangerous or likely to be a wind up) and after some time there are no further replies so no derailing of the topic.

As an example I use a self made strap wrench to open my oil filters. If I post on this subject and how I do it there can be no argument....(once I tell the truth) because it is not purporting to be the best method, but simply an example of how I do it...

Edit...just to say I look at the latest yapp posts and it is all Greek to me....but I defend the rights of those who speak and write in Greek to continue to do so....
 
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One person's pointless is interesting to another and bordering essential to a third - so let the "YAPP" projects proliferate. If it has a boaty application, PBO, if not, the Lounge.

The estimable Neeves is a mine of arcane anchoring lore and all power to his elbow - I plonk my bog standard (and rather criticised by Neeves - I'm sure he's right) set up down night after night and sleep like a baby on a rock solid anchor.

My next obsession is an LED in the cabin to tell me I've left the anchor winch on. ... YAPP!
 
Understanding and Unanimity born of conflict?

:)

Jonathan
Bristolfashion said:
One person's pointless is interesting to another and bordering essential to a third - so let the "YAPP" projects proliferate. If it has a boaty application, PBO, if not, the Lounge.

The estimable Neeves is a mine of arcane anchoring lore and all power to his elbow - I plonk my bog standard (and rather criticised by Neeves - I'm sure he's right) set up down night after night and sleep like a baby on a rock solid anchor.

My next obsession is an LED in the cabin to tell me I've left the anchor winch on. ... YAPP!
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My wife tells me a sleep like a baby - others would elaborate and suggest my sleep pattern has much to do with my mental age.

:)

Jonathan
 
Bristolfashion said:
One person's pointless is interesting to another and bordering essential to a third - so let the "YAPP" projects proliferate. If it has a boaty application, PBO, if not, the Lounge.

The estimable Neeves is a mine of arcane anchoring lore and all power to his elbow - I plonk my bog standard (and rather criticised by Neeves - I'm sure he's right) set up down night after night and sleep like a baby on a rock solid anchor.

My next obsession is an LED in the cabin to tell me I've left the anchor winch on. ... YAPP!
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That there estimable Neeves is a menace.

For years before I joined this forum I used to sleep the sleep of the just, comforted by the thought that if a CQR and chain was good enough for Eric Hiscock et al, then it was certainly good enough for me.

Now I lie awake anxiously studying reports of anchor tests and leafing through chandlers' catalogues; in quest of the perfect anchor. :eek:
 
Poignard said:
…
Now I lie awake anxiously studying reports of anchor tests and leafing through chandlers' catalogues; in quest of the perfect anchor. :eek:
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I think that’s similar to the well-known technique to avoid seasickness: sit under a tree.

I suppose that, in case anyone is inclined to take that literally, I should add, not to if there’s lightning about.
 
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