Discourse is about as diametrically the opposite from “random and confusing” as the folks who designed and wrote the code could make it. I am sure they gave … and continue to give … a lot of thought and refinement into deciding how Discourse functions. How to make a lot of information and capabilities available to you if you want it, while also not annoying you with it if you don’t.
One of the founders, Jeff Atwood, has had enough previous success as one of the founders of the Stack Exchange Q&A sites that he probably could have done just about anything else including just staying at home and playing with his kids. But he was frustrated with the lack of consistency and utility in all the discussion board platforms he bumped up against.
When I get frustrated and annoyed, I grumble a lot and then eventually forget about it and move on. If Jeff gets frustrated enough and he thinks he could do better, he founds a company and tries to do so. Or at least that’s my guess as to how Discourse probably came about.
Why don’t we try starting with the attempts to offer some insight into using the site and then move on from there. Has everyone read Emily’s Getting started on our New Website! post? Did it help? If not, which parts did not help?
What question do you have which you most want answered? What’s the second most vexing question?
Maybe we could help if we approached it this way it might be of some help?