Revdocs on a wiki

[Dennis Brown]

I am not interested in supporting a mish-mash unstructured free-for- 
all of information.  That is not the point at all.  I like much of  
the structure of the current embedded Rev documentation.  The  
dictionary is immeasurably useful.  It is even more useful when  
integrated into the script editor as done in Constellation.  Web  
notes could have been useful --if it actually worked.

However, if RunRev were to just make a wiki available and say have at  
it, I would fear eminent failure.

What I envision, is a well structured database of information that is  
not only useful to newbie and professional, but allows for upgrading  
the information without waiting for an annual formal release cycle.   
We can call it a wiki, but I think it has to be better than the  
average wiki.  Not only does it need to better than a typical wiki,  
it also needs to do things that a book can not do.

Some of the things I would like to see:

1.  A single consensus wish list from user the community for RunRev  
to see --call it a rough draft spec
2.  A single consensus wish list from user the community for RunRev  
to see --call it a rough draft spec
3.  A single consensus wish list from user the community for RunRev  
to see --call it a rough draft spec

4.  Article change/delete by voting members --three strikes and you  
are out --or in
5.  Discussion about potential changes occur on the use-rev list as  
it does now
6.  Articles included or pointers to articles with attributions and  
pointers to "about the author" --like in the tutorial stacks
7.  Rev front end to integrate the site into tools (not browser  
dependent unless a pointer takes you to another web site)
8.  Starting page of link lists of your interest:
     a.  Learning Transcript --takes you to the next index page of  
topics (linear links take you from topic to topic inside an article,  
branches to download tutorials from other sites)
     b.  Language Dictionary --takes you to category index page  
(search always available)
     c.  How Do I --takes you to a category index where you drill  
down to ever more concise areas, then finally to a list of example/ 
discussions
     d.  Tools available to developers
     e.  Scripting styles
     f.  Other resources
     g...

As you can see, I look at this as a way of organizing the existing  
information and resources in one place.  I see it as fulfilling  
several major needs:
1.  That wonderful TOC and Index to the great information available  
(along with the hyperlinks that only an electronic book can have)
2.  A place to deposit many of the jewels of information that come  
from the use-rev list where they can be easily found by the inquiring  
mind
3.  Visibility for rev developers and web sites that is linked  
directly to the needs of the user --by virtue of were they are looking

Having the backing of RunRev for this project significantly increases  
the odds of success (from 40% to 80%), even if they provided nothing  
more than acknowledging it on their home page as the place to go to  
learn.

Dennis

On Oct 29, 2005, at 12:18 AM, Dan Shafer wrote:

> Judy.....
>
> As everyone here knows, you and I don't always see eye to eye on  
> things. OK, we almost never see universe to universe. So what of it?
>
> But I thought that a LOT of what you share in this message is, as  
> the Brits say, spot-on. Those who are waiting for electronically  
> delivered information to replace paper-delivered information will  
> wait a long, long, LONG time. Meanwhile, we need to find better and  
> better ways to translate what is good and understandable and usable  
> about printed books into the digital universe. We keep trying.
>
> Dan
>
>
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