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I sincerely believe the "Electronics and Robotics" proposed SE should be re-named to just "Robotics". I would like to leave a comment to this effect, but there doesn't seem to be a facility to do this. Perhaps it's because I only have 51 rep, although it says I can comment with a rep of 50.

What's going on?

(I originally asked this question on meta.stackexchange.com, but then realised that this is probably the right place.)

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The Electronics and Robotics site has already been partially defined by its example questions. Of these, none have been about robotics (excepting a question about program logic in the Lego Mindstorms system, which didn't make mention of "Robotics" as such).
It has also been defined by its comments, which include a focus on duplicating the scope of Chiphacker.
Finally, it has been defined by its subtitle:

Proposed Q&A site for electronics and robotics hardware hacking enthusiasts - topics that include robotics, electronics, physical computing, and even those working with an Arduino.

which only mentions robotics as an application of its scope.

Once the site enters beta, the meta site will be used to further refine the scope and the name. The The 7 Essential Questions of Every Beta include:

Are questions about [subject] on or off topic?

It is clear that some elements of robotics are definitely on topic. Other questions concerning artificial intelligence, philosophy/ethics, and mechanical problems might not be on topic.

What should our domain name be?

This influences not only the domain name, but also the actual name. It would be unlikely that one name would get proposed for the URL, but another would be used as the site name. The answer to this question will probably determine the name.

Interestingly enough, this question has proposed RoboOverflow, and here is another (older) question about a robotics StackExchange site. You are welcome to propose an exchange with a Robotics focus, and I imagine that the contributors to those questions would follow you. However, I think it is clear that Electronics and Robotics should not be renamed to Robotics.

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  • In that case, what is the point of it? Considering that Chiphacker already exists? – Rocketmagnet Aug 29 '10 at 10:27
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    @Rocketmagnet - The point is that Chiphacker is an SE 1.0 site, and is not moving to SE 2.0. If you really want a robotics-specific site, why not propose it yourself? – Kevin Vermeer Sep 2 '10 at 1:05
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It's because it's already in the commitment phase. At this point the site has already been (tentatively) defined, and they're mainly looking for users.

Once the site opens, you can discuss this issue on its meta site. By that point it will probably be too late, though.

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  • Hmm, now that I read the question again, I'm not sure this actually answers it. – mmyers Aug 2 '10 at 21:57
  • Exactly, it will be too late then. Ever since SE started, I have longed for a Robotics one. I really would love to commit to this proposal, but only if it's going to be properly about robotics, rather than a confusing duplicate of Electronics Exchange and Chiphacker. I am a senior engineer at a robotics company, and would love to help others if I can. – Rocketmagnet Aug 2 '10 at 22:24
  • The name of the site is subject to change when the site goes live (leaves beta). This flexibility is needed to register a domain name that (if possible) is similar to or identical to the site title. So I do not agree that the title is set in stone during the commitment phase. – user102937 Aug 3 '10 at 1:08
  • Case in point: This question on the cooking meta site, which solicits potential domain names for the final site. – user102937 Aug 3 '10 at 1:11
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    That's good to know. However it would still be nice to be able to discuss these things earlier, rather than later. I wish there was a meta site during the commitment phase. – Rocketmagnet Aug 3 '10 at 8:45
  • @Rocket, I know this is an imperfect solution, but you could always turn around and try to get robotics questions off of that site, and then start a robotics-based proposal of your own. – Pops Aug 10 '10 at 18:01

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