[ndc]

I don't think the problem is the mailing list style of discussion. Looks like it works fine, even for big projects like the linux kernel. What I find frustrating with mailing list is the archive:

* sometimes there is no archives

* sometimes the archive is unsearchable, only browsable

* for archives with search capability, sometimes the search results are not accurate enough

If end users can find answers through mailing list archive, they needn't post nor subscribe.