Re: Archives and Web Site

["Ian Bicking" <bickiia@earlham.edu>]

> I been watching things and I've come to the conclusion that something has
> to be done. There are a few projects that are doing great but in the big
> scheme of things this is a pebble against a mountain. The number of
> projects actively being worked has to increase substantially. I feel the
> best way to accomplish this is to turn discussions into projects.
> Basically my plan is doing as you say, consolidating the information and
> putting it on a web page linked to a prospective project on the "To Do
> List". The reason for this is that someone visiting the "To Do List"
> might say, "Here is something I can do" as well as Bill Ries-Knight has
> offered to advertise the "To Do List". Again as you imply, it is a lot of
> work, but I feel it has to be done if one is serious about really making
> a difference. 

This seems like a very good idea.  What goes on in the mailing list 
is far from binding -- only real code and implementations have 
much weight -- but there are useful ideas to be shared, including 
contact lists, notes on educational usage, design goals, etc.

With dynamic content on the web page it is possible that these 
things could be updated by the people involved (with reminders, like 
emailing people that maybe they'd want to put this on the web 
page).  I don't know if that would actually be successful, though.  
Even if people are willing to individually put in the work, they might 
not feel comfortable summarizing other people's words, or even 
summarizing their own words.  I haven't seen this used very 
successfully before, though I have seen it used unsuccessfully.

An editor who was willing to do it for people would be far more 
successful and create more compact, meaningful pages.  Those 
pages could certainly be a helpful resource for the prospective 
programmer.

> Ian, let me ask about Logo. When I look at the "Current
> Projects List", I see Miguel Sepulveda's 3D LOGO listed but no way for
> anyone to even guess that you're interested in possibly writing a Logo
> program. I was wondering if you wanted to list your Logo program as a
> potential project. Doug, is Miguel currently doing anything with his
> project. Anyway any thoughts or ideas.

I feel reluctant having something on the webpage without 
something real to show.  I can share my ideas with someone, and 
if I stop being lazy I can write something myself, but until there's 
the core of something useful I'm unsure if there's much use to 
making anything public.

Software projects like these seem to seldom be effective unless 
they start with the core of a program, designed by one person (or 
some colocated people, I suppose)

And if my name is put there and I dissapear somehow, will my 
name be up there for a long time before someone takes it down?  I 
wonder if some of the stuff on those lists now are already stale.


If there was a Logo section that didn't commit to any design or goal 
(beyond Logoness) then I'd like my name there.  But I can only 
claim commitment when I have something to show -- either 
something I've made or something I've helped along -- and I wouldn't 
want my ideas to be viewed as anything more than ideas until 
there's an implementation to back them up.



--
Ian Bicking <bickiia@earlham.edu>