I’m 38 (even though I feel 60 most of the time 
)
3 Likes
Well that certainly says something about my (lack of) perspicacity. (The temptation to edit my previous post is strong…)
3 Likes
Don’t do it! We will see that edit and think less of you as a person. We’ll laugh, and laugh, and laugh at your expense…
4 Likes
Way back when, your first answer to the question of why edit revisions were visible was this:
And when Rob B was asked to weigh in, he had this to say, in part:
And ending with this reasonable touch:
Has there, in fact, been any problem whatsoever with keeping edit histories optionally hidden since then?
Have we, as a community, actually missed out on any halfway-tangible benefit by being denied access to the edit histories of any of our fellow community members?
Or has this policy just generally worked out pretty danged well? Even if it just keeps Nervous Nellies like me (and @ficuswhisperer and @d_r and @stephen_schenck and @grumblebum and @fireshadow to name those who chimed in) happier about our level of control over what we contribute to the discussion.
I think BBS’s policy reflects the relative sophistication and maturity of the BBS community. Ninja-editing offensive comments would surely be a concern in many other online fora, but hereabouts we’re not all 12-year-olds.
6 Likes
Yeah, but that decision comes at a cost – it fucks up viewing normal edit history for everyone, forever. For example, this thing I just posted internally would lose a lot of its context:
It’s not the end of the world, but it’s 100% the wrong decision, no question whatsoever, motivated by bullshit fear, uncertainty and doubt mongering no better than the shit the TSA is hawking every day.
The reason I don’t bitch about it more is because it ultimately doesn’t matter that much, and I don’t feel that particular hill is one that I need to die on.
Other hills, though… you know, it depends. 
(Someone else brought it up in this case, though, and for old time’s sake I thought we’d discuss a tad. I require no changes in this area.)
Interesting how the edits are part of the story I’m telling. Pulling that away from me, pulling it away from everyone, well, that’s kind of a dick move in my opinion.
(Yes, yes, I agree that “make it a user preference, opt in or opt out” can be used here. And given the intractability of the opinions involved, perhaps inevitable at some level.)
I think you’re been hacked by Eric Schmidt.
1 Like
I always like to discuss for old time’s sake, especially with m’pals.
What I find interesting is just how much you and I think each other is wrong (although we both agree that this is totally a tempest in a teapot, and not worth getting remotely bent outta shape over).
(Except for the fact that yeah, I probably wouldn’t post nearly as much if the revision histories were always visible to all and sundry. I made all my points in good faith, and like you, I stand by 'em.)
I don’t get it. You said something, changed your mind, and added something else. That change isn’t necessarily part of the story, and especially not an important part, since the majority of readers aren’t gonna bother to view the edit history. If it mattered, you’d describe why you made the edit in the post itself (which is why people do the ETA thing).
In the vast majority of what I communicate here, the process of communication isn’t the important part. To a large extent, the technology behind what we discuss and through which we discuss it should be transparent, so as not to get in the way of the points we make. Rough drafts are interesting to literary scholars, like demo recordings are interesting to hardcore music fans. But we don’t get access to every demo recorded by every band, nor can we get unfettered access to Stephen King’s Trunk of Lost Manuscripts, and that’s no accident. Nor is it all that tragic.
I believe you and I share a belief that what Discourse records for posterity should stop somewhere well short of full keylogging, but we differ on where that line should be. I don’t believe I’m acting like a dick by not wanting the things I delete or alter in my BBS writings to stubbornly stay there for everyone to read with zero effort. Mods should have that access, and if somebody wants to screengrab my earlier draft then I can’t stop 'em. But I still see no upside in making it trivially easy for them to view altered works in progress.
I guess what it comes down to is something like authorial intent. I, Mr Bigshot Commenter, want people just to see what I intend 'em to see. And some people, the Nosey Parkers, like to peer over my shoulder while I refine a draft, and rifle through my wastebasket to examine my discards.
Who should be in charge? Obviously I side with the Bigshot. And for the life of me I can’t understand why objecting to the wastebasket-riflers is being a dick.
But at least I know it’s not personal. One of these days, I still hope to recommend a book you’d actually like.
6 Likes
To me the edits are incontrovertibly part of the story. Just like George Lucas sliced and diced Star Wars, and other people have too, to different ends.
I am really fine with the status quo here with regards to edits and the previous decision but it is interesting how deep this rabbit hole goes in terms of differences of philosophy.
4 Likes
Just as long as nobody representing either philosophy says that the other side is “100% wrong”
3 Likes
Ok fine you guys are only, like, 95% wrong.
4 Likes
Puts on dragon mask
“Ok everyone, just remember to keep it cool.”
Takes off dragon mask
Ok, I realize that this topic wasn’t getting that heated and didn’t need a warning… but I couldn’t resist. That was my one power trip for the day, I promise I’m done… for now.
On different note, if I can just pull the discussion back in the direction of the original topic because there is still one thing that I am curious about that kind of got skimmed over in the larger discussion.
So instead of having the ability to edit just disappear after a set amount of time could it instead be tied to activity in the topic? Or just general activity around a post? Also, when you do edit a post or topic is the time you have until your ability to edit that post or topic expires reset, or is it a set time?
Preserving the continuity of discussion, which you generally seem to prize, is an excellent reason not to do this.
2 Likes
If you feel the edit is so transformative the the very existence of previous revisions to others is a serious problem, then deleting and recreating the reply is warranted. Plus, the reply is still there as you added it again.
This topic was automatically closed after 264 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
