I realize those threads, and others they link to in turn, are rather lengthy, so I don't expect you to have read them all exhaustively; but I get the impression you only read the root nodes. If you read the threads, you find that the consensus is opposed to your (and your predecessors') proposition. In particular, it gets virtually no support from the site policy makers and the site programmers, so it should come as no surprise that nothing has been done about it. Update: see tye's response below.

Perhaps we need a section of "topics...

That's also not likely to happen. See the FAQ: I think there should be a new Section on PerlMonks for Jobs/Modules/Quizzes/Perl6/Newbies/OffTopic/etc.

> > > > What we really need is a workable keyword tagging system. We have keywords, but for some reason, the gods consider it to be a security hazard, or something, so it hasn't been enabled for non-special users.

so it should come as no surprise that nothing has been done about it

The "/msg author" link was added.

We have keywords, but for some reason, the gods consider it to be a security hazard, or something, so it hasn't been enabled for non-special users.

Nice unsubstantiated speculation. Feel free to add whatever keywords you want. They aren't disable for non-special users. But they aren't particularly useful either. And I don't know how you imagine keywords can be a security problem. The closest thing to that is the fact that there is no accountability nor reasonable system in place to deal with abuses (which isn't the same as security) so there is nothing to stop me from tagging all of your nodes with whatever abusive term I feel like applying to you and no (easy) way of telling that I was even the one who did it.

I've seen some proposals to try making keywords more useful but I haven't been convinced that any of them would really work at making them that useful, would deal well with abuses, or would be simple enough to ever get implemented. Unless a proposal is likely to meet all three of those criteria, I don't see much point. Some people have decided to start adding keywords, I believe, even though there is still no real use for them nor solid plans.

- tye        

They aren't disable for non-special users. But they aren't particularly useful either.

Right. To be precise, I should have said, "You can add keywords, but since the one other essential feature — keyword searching — is disabled (for non-special users), they're completely useless."* My mistake.

Nolo contendere on the appropriateness of the word "security"; what I was referring to was what you described.

Anyway, it may be that we're a long way off from having a usable keyword system. I still maintain that we need one, whether we get it or not. :-)

(*In fact, it's possible to build keyword-based capabilities off-site, since the xml rendering of a node includes the node's keywords.)

A word spoken in Mind will reach its own level, in the objective world, by its own weight

The "/msg author" link was added.

Indeed one of the most useful additions, as of late. And, just to make sure: yes, the current mechanisms do work, and well. Yet it seems both from this discussion and other recent ones like mine itself that there is some desire (albeit no compelling necessity) for thingies that are somewhat intermediate in weight and visibility between the evanescent /msg and a full fledged node. Now, if only could think of the nature of such thingies in a way that would fit all of their possible uses...

Suddenly, I'm very interested in these tags you mention. Is there a place to read about them? Where did you hear about them?

-Paul

The Keyword Nodelet, enableable via Nodelet Settings.

A word spoken in Mind will reach its own level, in the objective world, by its own weight