If we had our own site, the email subscriptions of discussions could be done as well. Lots of web board software has this feature.
We would need some type of server-side scripting language (perl, php, asp, etc) running to use these packages. Most of them require SQL backends for data storage as well. MySQL is supported by pretty much all of them, and PostgreSQL and others are often as well.
So just what kind of hosting options do we have available? With a scripting language and SQL, we would be pretty much set, and easy. With just a scripting language, there are still options (but much fewer). If nothing suits our needs, I would be happy spend some time writing something that would.
Without either, I think that an archived email list or a usenet newsgroup (which I personally don't like) would be our best choices for going it alone.
If we end up staying here and paying, I think we still ought to maintain a page about what is going on in here, for everyone who is not a member. They could still keep up on the discussion and events, but would be unable to participate themselves.
I see two definite advantages to running our own site:
Control: We can do anything we want with it.
Openness: We wouldn't be 'closed off' from everyone as we would if we were here and paying.
It would require a bit of extra work from the people that maintain, but I feel that if we have a viable hosting option, and people to maintain the site, well then, we ought to go for it.
--Ryan Edgar
Created on Thursday, June 07, 2001 1:20 PM EDT by Ryan C Edgar