A bit off topic :
(and I still hate discussion boards without threading)
A long time ago that was my sentiment exactly, coming from Usenet and mailing lists. The mere idea of flat discussion boards made me freak out -- "How can one follow a discussion if one doesn't know who's replying to whom?"
But after years of reading and contributing to flat (linear) forums I have grown to like them. The topic assumes a life of its own and everybody is replying to "the topic". This type of indirected discussion helps reduce confrontation and bad temper and IMO ambiguity is not always something to be avoided in a conversation. In a flat board you can make a summary of discussion or general criticism without leaving the impression that you're targeting a certain user. Of course if you wish to make clear that you're replying to a specific user you can use quotations or specific wording.
All in all, I can't imagine Perlmonks in flat mode :)
