Math Board

[The Little Guy]

I think that the "PHP Math Help" Board is a stupid idea, there should be a board instead that is called "Programming Math Help", because php isn't the only language that some people need math help with, there is: JavaScript, Java, ActionScript, PHP, Python, C, C#, VB, ASP.NET, Python, etc.

 

Making a General Programming Math Board would be really helpful, instead of just one for php.

[KevinM1]

1. This is PHP Freaks.  We have a PHP focus, with diminishing focus on various relational databases, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS since they're all used in conjunction with PHP.  Generalized boards, such as our "Other Programming Languages" board, are a courtesy.  While you're correct that mathematics is applicable to all programming languages (and, indeed, is the genesis of those languages), since this is a PHP-first forum, that's the lens through which the vast majority of our members view things.  More to the point, that board's focus is on solving mathematical problems with PHP.  Not Java, not Python, not Perl, not C#, etc.

 

2. Coming out and blatantly calling something stupid is a surefire way to not get the staff to take your (or anyone else's) suggestions seriously.  Learn some tact and try again.

[salathe]

I think that having any Math help forum here is stupid.

 

There, I said it.

[.josh]

If I remember correctly, it got its start because a former admin had a math problem he had to work out, and for some reason felt it warranted its own forum.  Hahaha those crazy admin of old!

 

Whether or not we should keep the Math board is a subject that has actually come up several times.  And there are people on both sides of the fence on it, but I guess it probably remains as-is because it's not technically hurting anything by being there.  Also we're pretty lazy, so it's hard to motivate us to actually do anything around here.

 

As for me, I don't particularly disagree with having a "Math" forum...having a basic understanding of math (like what, basic algebra, maybe trig tops? It's been decades since I was in school...) is necessary for everyday programming, and the forum does have more posts than a lot of our other forums...but I think if we do decide to keep that form, "Math" is programming language agnostic, so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to make it php-only, and probably should be moved outside of php help.  There are plenty of posts in that forum that don't mention php (or any language) at all.

 

But that's assuming it even sticks around.  As Nightslyr mentioned, this is primarily a php programming help board...even if math is language agnostic, we aren't primarily here to hand out math lessons.