[ale] ALE forum ?

[Doug Hall]

On 2/25/11, Ron Frazier <atllinuxenthinfo at c3energy.com> wrote:
> In that case, I would like the idea better, add functionality for those
> that want it, without sacrificing functionality you already have. Do you
> have to have a Google account and / or have scripting enabled to do
> admin stuff on your own account? I'm OK with scripting on sites without
> user generated content.

You do have to have a Google account to edit your settings, but that
only makes sense. (How else would they know whose settings to change,
or if that's REALLY you?) You can disable javascript and still
maintain full functionality of both Gmail and Google Groups. This
response was written from Gmail.com with Javascript turned off. The
user interface isn't as nice, but as far as I can tell, I can change
all of my account settings and read and respond to emails. Google has
a "basic" HTML view (without javascript's help) and a "standard" view
which uses Javascript.

That being said, Google's SPAM controls have probably done more to
spare me any harmful emails than their javascript has unwittingly
enabled.

As far as the infrastructure "change" goes, I'm only recommending we
do this to provide a unified front. It's a little confusing to both
have an email list AND a Google Group. When you have this, people
wonder which one they should use. Since, in my own experience,
maintaining (and using, for that matter) a Google Group is far better
and easier, that's what I recommend.

Since I'm a new member to the group, I should probably explain my
philosophy on Google. I'm not personally very paranoid of Google (as
you might have guessed). I really don't think Google is interested in
"tracking" my actions per se. I know that, for the most part, they got
to be a large company by doing things the right way and doing them
well. Therefore, I am not nearly as afraid of them as I am of
Microsoft, for example. (Not to say that Google is saintly, but then
who is, really?)

Google uses key words in emails to target ads at both the author and
reader of these emails. Since the ads are unobtrusive on the website,
and nonexistent in individual emails, I can easily ignore them. I have
no problem with them providing an (otherwise) free service in exchange
for these ad revenues -- provided they don't distribute my specific
information, which they have promised me that they do not.

Doug Hall