GitHub Issues and Discussions vs. Email

Currently, we are trying to combine the visit-users email list with a GitHub issues repository. The bullets here outline the many advantages of GitHub issues over emails. For users who already have GitHub accounts, the transition is easy. For users without GitHub accounts, we encourage you to sign up for GitHub accounts (just as you had to for the visit-users email list).

GitHub Issues vs. Email

• Message size limits on visit-users prevent users from sending most things via email whereas you can attach 100x bigger things to issues on GitHub.
• Embedded images in email are often preferable but don't always work well in all email clients. Embedded images work fine in GitHub issues.
• Neither attached nor embedded images in emails are archived in the visit-users email list archive for viewing later.
• Attachments to emails are not archived in visit-users email archive.
• LLNL cyber filters often strip stuff user's send us in emails. That won't happen on GitHub issues though.
• You can't edit emails after the fact to correct errors. You can edit content on GitHub issues if needed.
• When one developer needs something a user sent, if they don't have the original email, they don't have it whereas stuff on GitHub persists and everyone can easily go access it as needed.
• When users need to give us data that can't be emailed, we wind up having to use other modalities (llnl ftp, personal dropbox, shared file space at nersc, etc.).
• GitHub search and sort features are far more powerful for finding/browsing past issues than visit-users email archive.
• visit-users email doesn't support nice formatting via something like markdown for those who are conversant in that.
• Developers (and users) cannot selectively watch and unwatch communications on visit-users whereas that is easily done on GitHub.
• GitHub issues are searchable from Google.
• While visit-users is a private email list (meaning that only list members can receive messages or access the archive), GitHub issues is public.