From: Walden
EMail comes TO ME, I have to GO TO the web.
I know that's a common perception, eched in this thread and the one that took off on the non-tech list. But when you consider the mechanics, there doesn't seem to be much difference between email lists and forums.
The perception is that email comes to me. The reality is that I must launch an mail client - and the client must retrieve messages from the server; normally at regular intervals.
What is the difference between launching an email client vs. going to a Web forum? Furthermore, the network is the same (the Internet).
This topic is interesting to me because I'm currently writing a Web based email client that's geared toward mailing lists like Midrange Lists. But when my email client is finished, my plan is to write a forum.
My email messages are actually stored in a database. Forum content is also in a database. The irony is that the email database is nearly identical to the forum database.
The tables are structured in hierarchical fashion (parent-child relationships):
Lists -> Subjects -> Messages
vs.
Forums -> Threads -> Messages
And there's an "Authors" table under both schemes. Before getting started on the email client, I even considered a design where the database tables and user interfaces for both applicatons were combined.
The main difference is that replies under the mail client are mailed to a list server (out on the Internet) which reflects them back to my mail server, while forum messages go directly from the browser to the database.
So what makes email better?
Nathan.
midrange.com
