I am a relative newcomer to the forums, but when I read about discussions having taken place regarding religion and war, I don't wonder that Adobe has cracked down and reduced the lounge to one web page that is easily monitored.  I think companies can be made liable for content that they host.  Of course, the reduced functionality of the Jive software is another story altogether...

just like the lounge was created to keep drivel out of the main forums, we created the religion politics and war thread to keep those topics out of the other threads in the lounge. coming from all over the world the diversity of oppinions was really varied and i learned more REAL things about my fellow earthicans than any time up to that point. it's amazing what yuu can discuss when everyone's adult and open minded and respectful of each other. unfortunately some people just can't play nicely. keeping that in mind, i guess it was doomed from the start.

Even Jk3 started to watch Liverpool in the Champions League!

function(){return A.apply(null,[this].concat($A(arguments)))}

dave milbut wrote:

 

just like the lounge was created to keep drivel out of the main forums, we created the religion politics and war thread to keep those topics out of the other threads in the lounge. coming from all over the world the diversity of oppinions was really varied and i learned more REAL things about my fellow earthicans than any time up to that point. it's amazing what yuu can discuss when everyone's adult and open minded and respectful of each other. unfortunately some people just can't play nicely....

Sadly true, especially of the politics discussions, which I have largely learned to avoid here and elsewhere. The virulent things that were said in some of the discussions were truly appalling.

dave milbut wrote:

 

…even the most ardently oppositely oriented people…

Oriented? What is that, some kinda racial slur at the Asians? You gotta lotta nerve, mister…

Note: The preceding is provided as an example of how the most inocuous statements could flame up into full-scale war in the old lonuge days. Dave knows I'm kidding, but if not, I'll get a bag of flaming poop on my porch tomorrow…

Migintosh wrote:

 

dave milbut wrote:

 

…even the most ardently oppositely oriented people…

Oriented? What is that, some kinda racial slur at the Asians? You gotta lotta nerve, mister…

 

Note: The preceding is provided as an example of how the most inocuous statements could flame up into full-scale war in the old lonuge days. Dave knows I'm kidding, but if not, I'll get a bag of flaming poop on my porch tomorrow…

Oh, not just in the lonuge, and not just in the old days...

It was created some time between September 11, 2001 and September 11, 2002, because there was a thread for the first anniversary. (I still have the text file of what I posted in that thread somewhere).

I gan't wrap my mind around that one.

>why does part of me think that bill clinton was in office?

UNPOSSIBLE! I started @ Maryknoll in 2000. I was NOT a member of the forums until 2001, when they killed PressReady.

"I'm living proof that Drugs and Alcohol do NOT fry your brain!" ©JFL

function(){return A.apply(null,[this].concat($A(arguments)))}

CameraAnn wrote:

 

Following some excessively heavy-handed moderating, and the arbitry closing of numerous OT threads, there was a general exodus in protest by most of the regular Helpers from the Photoshop (Mac) forum on 29th September 2002.

 

One of our number set-up a private Saloon where we could all gather to continue our general chit-chat and that continued for some time.

 

A few days later, with only the Mods left to answer all the technical Photoshop questions, Adobe did an "About-face and opened the Photoshop (Mac) Lounge to which our special Windows friends (like Dave Milbut!) were warmly welcomed.

I think that's the first time I've heard this little piece of history. Thank you!

greetings ann! hope you're well!

ann is especially famous for her involvement in the creation of the moniker "lounge pandas"...

iirc, it was something like: ann: i don't want to be associated with that group of lounge lizards. to which kiwite dion responded (approximately): we're not that bad. we're more like lounge pandas.

ah good times!

dave milbut wrote:

 

greetings ann! hope you're well!

 

ann is especially famous for her involvement in the creation of the moniker "lounge pandas"...

And since then I have had the chance to go to China and actually play with real live baby Pandas!

They were fun, friendly and extremely mischievous so "Lounge Pandas" was a most appropriate choice of moniker for the denizens of this place!

I was also blamed by an irate Mod. of being the "ring-leader" behind the infamous Photoshop (Mac) Exodus so perhaps in a way I was a tiny bit responsible for the foundation of the Lounge — but the Walk-out was supported by virtually everyone in that Forum with Bruce Fraser being the first to announce that he was leaving!

After the Exodus, Ed Hannigan proposed setting aside an area on the Adobe Site:

"Why not have something like a lounge? It seems like a good solution to this sad situation."

 

Although his idea was shot-down when he proposed it, Adobe reversed themselves and created the Lounge just a few hours later so Ed was probably the true "Father of the Lounge".

<Homer>Povimage</Homer> 

So many memories, good and bad.

I was here pre 2000 also.  I remember the easy access to industry experts.  And a lot more....

Advise threads about what to do about my husbands jealousy.  How to handle all sorts of personal issues.  Who was sick, low on money, Tired, lonely, whatever....

The vitrol especially in the Apple PS threads and platform wars between apple / Microsoft users.  Yelling screaming ranting and yes it got to extremes.  Banning, new user names, people going to Internet cafes to get new user names and yell some more.  Trying to act for days as if they were new members.  It was insane, like when did people actually work.

I remember people's sex lives and who was with whom at conferences etc.  people hitting on people as if they weren't states apart.  "come and join me at the beach tonight, I'll bring a bottle of wine".  A virtual soap opera, virtual reality tv.

Chris Cox was here then also.  Always trying to keep it logical and on track.  It was hard work.

Also many would be in the photography forum which was only a bit about photography.  Pictures uploaded by thousands before sites like facebook.  Adobe could have been doing the IPO today if they had realized what they had and capitalized on it.

And yes then Adobe found ways to simply make it stop and we all went away.

I joined the Adobe Forums on March 13th, 1997, The forums had just started, Chris Cox was here. The forums have gone through a number of re-designs, changing software, etc. - it basically started out as a very simple line listing of topics with replies. I was using a Mac 9500 with system 7.

All those years and today I have 1 posts.

Ah, the creation of the Lounge!

Ann is correct to say that the impetus was some heavy-handed moderating on the PS Mac forum.

I was a newly-minted moderator on the Livemotion forum at the time, and that forum had a section called the Livemotion Café, a place for off-topic discussion started by Nacho. When the kefluffle erupted in the PS Mac forum, I suggested to John C in the moderators' back room that we try something similar for Photoshop. I suggested that it be called the Photoshop Lounge. He replied soon after that the Powers That Be in Photoshop wanted to try it.

I know that there is no shortage of people claiming to have started the lounge, but Ann provided the reason, I provided the format (channeling Nacho) and JC provided the means. The rest is some convoluted history!