Debate! A Semi-weekly Open Rant Thread Idea

Anyone think this would be a good idea?

For example, the starting topic would be

Vector/Array v Linked Lists (which took over this topic)
or What warrants a comment (which took over this topic)
or Specs of Gaming Platforms (which took over this topic)

Interesting idea, but all it will lead to is flaming and/or arguing.

Some set of rules would have to be established. I’d hope that we could all debate like gentlemen.

Interesting idea, but all it will lead to is flaming and/or arguing.

No! Shut up! You’re stupid! Your mother is stupid! Your face is stupid! BLAAAARGH! AD HOMINEM! FLEAM FLAME FLAMMEY!

Anyway, I approve of this idea, despite the huge amount of reag it will create.

I’d rather have the pretentious educational debates confined to one thread than running wild. Might be interesting too. Would it be controlled topics I guess?

Also, 3rd link in OP is borked. LIES. Don’t believe this guy -UG

Make it a requirement to include at least 1 professional source per post. That way I don’t feel like other people are spouting personal religious belief instead of factual working concepts. I am guilty of this too and would like to break free of that habit.

Originally posted by EndlessSporadic:

Make it a requirement to include at least 1 professional source per post. That way I don’t feel like other people are spouting personal religious belief instead of factual working concepts. I am guilty of this too and would like to break free of that habit.

Some debates are merely a matter of opinions, like the one about comments.

Nobody will cite scientific research on whether commenting your code is good or bad, and if so, what’s the appropiate comments/lines ratio or stuff like that.

Of course, in other subjects, it’s always good to have some sort of stuff to backup your arguments, but again, having something on a book or on a popular blog or website doesn’t automatically make it an ultimate truth.

Of course, in other subjects, it’s always good to have some sort of stuff to backup your arguments, but again, having something on a book or on a popular blog or website doesn’t automatically make it an ultimate truth.

Of course, but not having proof to back your statement up doesn’t make it the ultimate truth either ;)

Originally posted by EndlessSporadic:

Of course, in other subjects, it’s always good to have some sort of stuff to backup your arguments, but again, having something on a book or on a popular blog or website doesn’t automatically make it an ultimate truth.

Of course, but not having proof to back your statement up doesn’t make it the ultimate truth either ;)

Yeah, of course. I’m all up for having a bunch of links on the thread; that’d make it even more useful for us and for whoever finds the debate on google while looking for a similar subject.

I just think that making it a requirement is a bit excesive and unnecessary. You know, sometimes you remember what you read or even who said it, but you can’t find that page on the book or that link on Google.

I know this weeks topic: Debate Debating having a Debating thread.

Yo Dawg- I heard you like Debating.

I think it’s a great idea and I’m all for it. The heat from the flaming should be intense enough to roast marshmallows.

(Seriously, if it’s going to lead the mods to interrupt flame wars in other threads by saying: “Guys, take it to the flame thread”, I think it would be a net positive. Not that we have that many flame wars to begin with…)

Ha. Flames would will be put out.

Once it goes from topic bashing to user bashing is where the line should be drawn.

I’d love to see this happen.
Its also good for people like me, that aren’t as experienced as you guys, so I can learn from the debates.

Maybe a debate for html5 vs flash/air? :3

Originally posted by Senekis93:

I made a “llama of ‘whatever’” image (that is to say, I got a llama image from google and added text), but I guess I have to upload it somewhere…

Meh.

Unless you have a way to split existing threads into new ones, I don’t think it would be productive. A single topic for AS2 vs AS3 would be okay if it meant that AS2 users didn’t find every thread they made got turned into an AS3 pride march, but killing discussion and conversation on anything other than the initial topic in a thread will just mean less conversation overall.

Most of the things being debated in threads recently are topics that wouldn’t have come up in the first place without them being randomly mentioned in existing threads. Shutting them down is more likely to lower the overall activity in topics. If the original topic of any thread was that compelling, it wouldn’t get sidetracked so easily. Take a look at a non-programming thread as an example…. most people don’t actually have anything to say about the original topic, and without there posts the thread would only have one or two replies. The benefit of the lax rules about going off topic generated the additional conversation (not that it was to much of a standard, but that’s besides the point).

Additional topics for discussion would be nice, but I doubt you’d be able to come up with enough topics to keep the threads going regularly at the same quality level. That was one of the plans for the Game Design board, after all. I’d rather see people allowed to follow up a discussion in any topic and I think when it came to actually implementing a new policy on it, people would start to get frustrated by having their replies in a thread met with a “take it to the other thread” all the time.

Originally posted by truefire:

Anyway, I approve of this idea, despite the huge amount of reag it will create.

I approve of this idea because of the fury it promises to set loose.

Originally posted by dragon_of_celts:

Originally posted by Senekis93:

I made a “llama of ‘whatever’” image (that is to say, I got a llama image from google and added text), but I guess I have to upload it somewhere…

Meh.

Originally posted by Feffers:

Maybe a debate for html5 vs flash/air? :3

Although I think it would be rather biased here with all of the flash developers, including myself. Not sure if it would work out =p.

We already had one of those: http://www.kongregate.com/forums/4-game-programming/topics/201025-flash-v-unity-v-html5-v