I don't think the de-activation of the rep system will have any long-term negative affect on the forum. The removal of the rep system may compel a few folks to leave the forum, maybe some others will choose to be less active. Still others will step up to fill the void, and life will go on.
The heavy-hitters will continue to be easily identifiable by their frequent and valuable contributions, their large post counts, and by their seniority on the forum.
I think some sort of rep system that would result in certain high-value threads' induction into a Hall of Fame would be even better than individual reps. Thread reps would recognize not only the creator of the thread, but also other posters who add value to a thread that they didn't necessarily start.
The heavy-hitters will continue to be easily identifiable by their frequent and valuable contributions, their large post counts, and by their seniority on the forum.
I think some sort of rep system that would result in certain high-value threads' induction into a Hall of Fame would be even better than individual reps. Thread reps would recognize not only the creator of the thread, but also other posters who add value to a thread that they didn't necessarily start.