# Why not keep old forum threads open?
**URL:** https://clojureverse.org/t/why-not-keep-old-forum-threads-open/14770
**Category:** Clojureverse Meta
**Created:** [November 6, 2025, 1:51am UTC](https://clojureverse.org/t/why-not-keep-old-forum-threads-open/14770 "2025-11-06T01:51:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mallo](https://clojureverse.org/u/Mallo)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2025, 1:51am UTC](https://clojureverse.org/t/why-not-keep-old-forum-threads-open/14770/1 "2025-11-06T01:51:47Z")
One of Clojure’s many strengths is backwards compatibility. Famously a library that was last touched six years ago might still work fine. A discussion about that library last touched six months ago at this excellent forum would be locked.
Hi, I’m a part-time developer returning to Clojure. I was using Elixir for quite a while and loved it too though never as much as Clojure, which has always had my heart. Now, Elixirforum doesn’t lock conversations and I came to appreciate that. I understand wanting to avoid necro postings but Clojurereverse members and the Clojure community in general seem respectful and well behaved.
Meanwhile if I just look in a single search, say for atoms used as state, I get this promising thread from years ago:
> [@What are common use case for atoms in the backend?](https://v2.clojureverse.org/t/what-are-common-use-case-for-atoms-in-the-backend/7680):
>
> Clojure atoms are great. It allows us to separate between the state and the value of the state at some point in time. I could see atoms used in applications that manage state internally, like a frontend application. But in the backend, it seems to me that most modern web services are either stateless or manage their states externally (e.g. in a database). So here is my question: what are the most common use cases for Clojure atoms in modern web services?
and it looks like it’s just getting going when I run into that all-too-familiar lock icon…
My personal suggestion would be to just not lock conversations ever. Of course there might be good reasons, I know little about running a forum, and most of all I hope my comment isn’t annoying!
I’m so grateful for Clojurereverse and Clojure itself.
---
### Author:  [@seancorfield](https://clojureverse.org/u/seancorfield)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2025, 2:23am UTC](https://clojureverse.org/t/why-not-keep-old-forum-threads-open/14770/2 "2025-11-06T02:23:08Z")
Welcome!
Necroposting and spammers are the two main reasons threads get locked after six months.
Most threads exhaust reasonable discussion after a few days, some last a few weeks. Rather than resurrecting an old thread that hasn’t had any activity in six months – _and pinging everyone who was involved in the discussion back then_ – we have encouraged members to start a new thread (and link/quote the old thread if needed – as you did here).
While Clojure itself value backward-compatibility and changes only slowly, our industry moves at a faster pace, best practices change, the “popular” choices of libraries also change over time.
---
### Author:  [@Mallo](https://clojureverse.org/u/Mallo)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2025, 3:02am UTC](https://clojureverse.org/t/why-not-keep-old-forum-threads-open/14770/3 "2025-11-06T03:02:04Z")
Thanks, and yes I suppose the pinging issue is real.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://clojureverse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://clojureverse.org/t/why-not-keep-old-forum-threads-open/14770/4 "2026-05-07T15:03:02Z")
This topic was automatically closed 182 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.