One of the key benefits mentioned is the superior markup options available on forums like Discourse; users can utilize LaTeX for mathematical equations and employ graphviz or mermaid diagrams directly from the text. This advanced formatting allows for easier quoting and modification of complex content such as equations and diagrams, which would be more challenging if they were merely image or PDF attachments.

Another notable advantage of using forums over email is the improved handling of threading and quoting, ensuring that replies are correctly linked with their original messages. Forums also manage conversations more effectively by organizing them into topics and replies, thus reducing distractions from unrelated follow-ups. The ability to express agreement or support through reactions rather than "me too" posts helps minimize the impact of low-content responses without eliminating them completely. Additionally, forums allow for post-moderation, which is not possible with mailing lists, giving moderators the flexibility to remove or edit off-topic or unconstructive comments after they have been posted.

Self-hosting a forum like Discourse also brings specific benefits over using mailing-lists-as-a-service. It simplifies the creation of additional discussion areas and private working groups, which can later make their internal debates public if desired. Moreover, the availability of plugin interfaces and APIs facilitates integration with external resources.

Despite these advantages, there are some drawbacks to using Discourse. It is not a lightweight solution, requiring substantial infrastructure to convert markdown posts to fully rendered ones, making backups of markdown text alone insufficient. The active development of Discourse raises the possibility that certain features or plugins may become obsolete, potentially affecting the correct rendering of posts in the future. Furthermore, it collects a moderate amount of private data, which could raise privacy concerns and necessitates careful management of backups and administrative access. To mitigate this, Delvingbitcoin.org uses a bot-generated git archive instead of raw database dumps.

The use of Discourse is widespread among open source projects, with several prominent communities like Python, Ruby on Rails, LLVM, Jupyter, Fedora, Ubuntu, and Haskell hosting their discussions on dedicated Discourse instances. Cryptocurrency projects such as Eth research and Chia also utilize it. Insights into Python's adoption of Discourse can be gleaned from articles on LWN.net, underscoring the significance of the platform within the technical community.

Finally, the perspective offered suggests that the choice between Discourse and other mediums for bitcoin-related technical discussions does not have to be exclusive. Embracing multiple channels and formats for conversation is seen as beneficial, encouraging a diverse exchange of ideas across various platforms.