>>>>> "GBC" == Gerald B Cox <gbcox@bzb.us> writes:

GBC> People keep saying it isn't sufficient or it doesn't work.  I've
GBC> been using it for 3 days and looks and acts like a normal mailing
GBC> list.

And I've been using it since the RT project switched a couple of years
ago.  And... it doesn't really look and act like a normal mailing list.
Putting aside the issues with formatting of messages which is discussed
elsewhere in this thread, certainly it generates messages and accepts
replies and so technically it's a mailing list.  But as a medium for
discussion which involves email, it simply doesn't work out.  the system
appears to either foster or encourage changes which result in the
delivered messages being less useful than messages from a mailing list.

The fundamental problem is that web forums tend to make less use of
quoting.  The end result is similar to top-posting, but in the other
direction.  Instead of complete "context" that's primarily useless, the
result is no context at all.  So you have to browse the rest of the
thread in your email program (which thankfully is still possible) or
click over to the web site.  Neither is ideal.

So, really, you've used it for a couple of days, have declared it fine,
and then boldly declared "Fedora should replace mailing lists with
Discourse".  But I've used it for a bit longer, and my experience has
simply been negative.  The discourse system simply does not serve to
foster email-based discussion.