There are a couple of nice aspects about TCB
- You can follow a conversation by slicking along a string. Preventing thread derailment is as easy as not following that string (or the mods taking that string out).
- You can read all relevant posts in a informational thread by only clicking on the posts from participants that have the actual knowledge. For example, in the Henry Sugar thread @BiGGyT linked to, you can just click the posts made by David Spragg and see all the inside information he posted about the movie making and the chips, without scrolling past a page and a half of posts that say "Wow, very nice"
Sure, on the outset it looks like crap. It has no pretty Façade. Underneath, it is Linux - a useful operating system without the bloat. It is a discheveld study with books piled everywhere, but the owner knows exactly which book is in which pile.
It is crap on the eyes, but it is a thing of beauty for the mind.