I remember two years ago, when there was no Scrapbox at all, there was much less spam around the rom-hacking boards and the amount of spam threads in the Hacks Showcase (there was no Progressing Hacks either) was also manageable by the mods.
And the only board where you can post threads without moderation approval is (was) the Scrapbox. Threads in Rom-Hacking or Emulation are moderated as well. Contrary to what you said, this will be a way to filter the spam. Filtering unapproved threads is easier than flitering open threads just floating around a board, because unapproved threads are listed on the ModCP so the mods can check them all at once.
I understand what you're saying, and I do respect the decisions made, so hopefully you don't think that was my way of bashing the team.
I just think the decision is a bit rash to close what appears to be to a lot of us users a necessary section to ROM hacking over spam.
Spam happens. There are ways of preventing it, but it makes things a lot slower since the ways to prevent it are likely require the moderation team to be online and constantly having to approve things, and I mean that just doesn't happen with the way things are around here.
I've heard from so many people who have requested for a thread to be approved and it not being posted until days later, and that was after those users have constantly had to pester the mods for them to take a look at their thread.
How does it take days, let alone a day, to approve a thread when you say thread approval is much easier for the mods? Especially when spam is usually taken care of effective immediately as long as someone is online to take care of it.
Also, I don't know how the population was around here two years ago but the users differ from who was here then, so a two year difference (with most of the users being used to having the scrapbox around) may work against those facts.
I have my doubts about this being any way to help anybody, but I know there's not much I can say to change your mind.
This is just going to have to be one of those wait and see situations.