I frequent the c++ forum, and I've seen quite a number of posts that are about windows api/MFC stuff. This seems to be quite a separate thing than just "c++". Would it make sense to add a new forum to separate it?

Dave

>Would it make sense to add a new forum to separate it?

No, seriously. Been there, done that; it causes more problems than solving any.

What kind of problems?

>What kind of problems?

Having an extra forum which would require all the house keeping a forum requires; monitoring threads, handling spam, moving off-topic threads/posts etc. We previously did create forums only to find them filled with spam and little or no activity.

BTW, is there any other reason you would want a separate forum other than the normal 'keeping threads organized' thing?

I suggested that same thing a few months or a year ago but was boldly ignored. Dani is not amiable to creating new forums for whatever reason.

>Would it make sense to add a new forum to separate it?
Frankly, I don't think it makes sense. But if it did then it would also make sense to add a new forum for C++/CLI, and for Qt because it seems to be a favorite recommendation for pretty pictures, and DirectX/Direct3D as well because you know someone will bitch about a Qt forum but no DirectX forum. Oh, and since we're breaking up the forum based on things that by some arbitrary estimation aren't "pure" C++, we need a separate forum for each and every compiler in common use as well because most of the OPs use features specific to their compiler.

One big problem with adding new forums is that it's a slippery slope. If Dani adds one forum based on a recommendation like this, tons of others will push to get their own pet forum added and use that first one as a precedent.

We worked hard to remove and merge forums a few years ago because Daniweb was turning into the site of a million forums, and I suspect that Dani is going to be hesitant to add new ones at this point. To successfully get a new forum, you need to prove that there's a significant benefit to it (enough to justify the many headaches that a new forum will create), especially when everyone will think you're asking for it because "I just started learning this kewl thing and it would be teh awesomesauce if Daniweb had a forum for it, yo!".

My question to the OP (and to AD) is what's the harm in how things are currently? The OP seems to be forgetting that you can access the Windows API from more than just C++. For example, do we need a Win32 API forum specializing in C, C++, assembly, the various flavors of VB, and any other language you can think of? A single forum for the Win32 API that caters to every possible language is likely to be confusing and frustrating to visit. Or does it make more sense to deal with Win32 API questions in the forums for those languages that we already have?

Sure, MFC is a C++ library, but do we have enough questions completely focused on MFC to warrant a new forum? How painful will it be for a newbie to be shunned from both the C++ forum and MFC forum because the question is about C++ but the code is saturated with MFC idioms? That's assuming that the newbie is even capable of determining which forum is better suited. I foresee flames from the local community and a lot of extra work for the moderators because the line is pretty freaking blurry.

All in all, while suggestions for a new forum are usually well-intentioned, they rarely take into account the big picture.

Haha oh man, I didn't mean to start a riot - (although at least if there is going to be one Ancient Dragon would be on my team!). I guess since I'm not a moderator I didn't understand the repercussions of an extra forum to moderate, and I haven't been around long enough to see the "site of a million forums". It was, in fact, the opposite of "I learned a new awesomesauce thing" - rather I don't know anything about the Windows API and I thought I was seeing a lot of threads that I knew nothing about and that rang a "why are these not separated?" bell in my head.

I'll go ahead and mark this one as "solved" to thwart further rioting!

Dave

Heh, if you think a riot is starting, you clearly haven't seen a real riot around these parts.

personally I hate what microsoft did, go out of standard and introduce their own standard C++/CLI. It's oky if they used C++0x for support
new features that CLI supports.( as I read garbage collection and so
on) don't bug my personal idea cos it's personal. Good for you bad for me I don't care.

But divide our C++ family into three or two isn't a good idea I think.
actually what I studied is win32 and wxWidgets. so just be silient on a discussion on MFC or other technology.that's it .never learn
what you hate. Let you decide it.