I like the slider from nested to pages, yeah, thanks. - Edit 1
Before modification by Joel at 16/05/2011 07:01:44 AM
I also find that slashdot has a comments system to their articles that is somewhere in between the two. Depending on your settings, you can have our treelike structure with just the subject line, a BB style with every reply visible, or somewhere between. And even with everything visible, replies are nested. Not to mention, the settings can be changed in each article (the little slider on the right side below the ad).
The other hybrid formats I've seen (e.g. this site, whose appearance and URL look like a classic phpBB to me) allow members to set their profile options to a simple choice between:
1) Nested
2) Paged
3) Hybrid with the whole thread displayed where a single post normally is, but the whole tree displayed above that.
I'd be thrilled to death with that option OR slashdots (the slider is more convenient and flexible than going to the account menu to select one of just three choices), because both allow members to pick the style they prefer, or go back and forth between them as the mood and circumstances suit them. Since each format excels in areas where the other is deficient, denying either essentially relegates RAFO to reduced functionality of SOME kind whichever is chosen. Conversely, enabling both automatically expands functionality. It's not about which is "better", which depends on ones priorities, it's about providing choices that include everyone, AND their priorities.