[Opensim-dev] Some thought about OpenSimulator Wiki future

[Jeroen van Veen]

How about moving opensim code to github and add something like Sphinx(but
then for c#) as documentation, where both documentation from source-code and
in wiki style can be mixed?
Advantage would be that versioning on the documentation is more flexible,
and most of the time the documentations software already provides a
professional looking template. Besides, you won't
need stuff like captcha's anymore. Just my two cents...

2011/8/3 Nomura Makiko <nomura.makiko at gmail.com>

> Hi, nice to meet you all. I'm Makopoppo.
>
> In OpenSimulator Wiki, Fritigern told me his idea about dividing wiki into
> user parts and developer parts.
>
> http://opensimulator.org/wiki/User_talk:Makopoppo#An_Idea_Which_Has_Been_On_My_Mind_For_Some_Time
>
> It would be nice to implement it. And more, I'd like to hear your thought
> about wiki future as well, especially if you haven't use OpenSimulator wiki
> ever or recently. (This is rather my personal activity than as a wiki admin
> job)
>
> Here is my idea about what OpenSimulator wiki will be:
>
> * The definition of "User"
>
> OpenSimulator software, as itself, is a framework for 3D virtual
> environment. It can be included into enterprise systems; i.e. some might
> want to bundle it into their web servers, groupwares, or such. Some wants to
> create their own kins for their use. Some wants to simply use this
> distribution out-of-the-box. Some doesn't want to own their sims, just wants
> to connect to them from their viewers. All of them are "Users". They will be
> categorized into three types:
>
> Client Users: Who connects to (or logins to) OpenSimulator-based grids with
> their viewer, websites, or some other possible methods. They don't need any
> computer-specific knowledges, they can be teenagers, or even infants.
> Documentation for them might be out of focus of OpenSimulator project, it is
> rather client vendor's area, but having minimal instruction and links to
> their document for further informations is not so bad idea.
>
> Grid Users: Who connects their OpenSimulator-based regions to
> OpenSimulator-based grids, or just using it standalone. They needs minimal
> knowledge of operation systems, databases, or some other related softwares
> such as web servers to run their own simulaters. Since there are already
> many resources for them, and especially for personal use, kins projects
> doing great job to make clear documents, maintain them and providing support
> for years. We can encourage or help them to improve their documents, such
> as, providing link list to their pages, or bollowing their article with huge
> credits.
>
> Framework Users: Who enhances OpenSimulator software for their use. The
> purpose varies amongst each other, from personal use to enterprise use. For
> example, the person who implements *Module, script functions, connectors or
> such. To say in another word, who using OpenSimulator as a framework. I
> personally think that one of the role of our OpenSimulator core project is
> provider of the best documentation for them. And I know currently we don't
> have enough documents for them, or if exists, it is unmaintenanced for
> years.
>
> So, who will be the "Developers"? It will be the contributors who
> contributes OpenSimulator framework itself. They should know OpenSim
> internal architectures, implementing guidelines, or licensing matters. Some
> experts can understand them only by reading codes (yikes!), but it would be
> nice to have such documents, if we can keep updating them forever.
>
> * Possible Wiki Structure
>
> Considering these points above, we can divide the wiki into three domains:
>
> http://opensimulator.org/ <-- for "Client Users" and "Grid Users"
> http://framework.opensimulator.org/ <-- for "Framework Users"
> http://dev.opensimulator.org/ <-- for the contributors of OpenSimulator
> core project (coders, document writers, issue managers, wiki admins)
>
> Although MediaWiki can create namespaces and we can use it for this
> purpose, I feel sub-domaining provides more straight-forward way to access
> to them (this is probablly because I am an address bar lover). Again, this
> is just my idea.
>
> * Should we create anything on our own?
>
> I personally think we don't need to "reinvent the wheel" to create all
> OpenSimulator documentation from the scratch, there are already nice
> documents all around the web. Why not make great use of them? I don't mean
> we can copyright violations and bring them all. Instead, it would be nice to
> have links to their project websites with simple descriptions about their
> project goal or feature on our wiki pages. Or, bollowing their documents
> with big credit would be nice too(Cons is duplicated documentation will be
> more difficult to maintenance).
>
> I wonder why kin projects (i.e. OSGrids, Inworlds, AuroraSim, …) are not
> feathered as kin developers. They are the good OpenSimulator framework users
> and the good OpenSimulator "User" documents provider. And communities. I
> know there are many other OpenSimulator-forums and many experts grandly help
> so-called "noobs". We can encourage and help them to support others in their
> community, such as, again, adding link to their forums. Blogs too. I came
> here looking at a post in ilibsl blog. I had a parcel in Ener Sounds(
> http://iliveisl.com/makos-home/ is me), and after leaving there, I found
> OpenSimulator in another post and tried to use it (to reproduce the terrain
> of Ener Sounds in vain lol). That was the start. OpenSimulator developers
> including me tends to detailed describe about the tecniches, but for users,
> the documents created by the users will be helpful. It might be not the best
> way, since the users have to access each blogs and forums to find the answer
> for their
>  question, but if OpenSimulator core wiki has nice directory to find them
> easily, it can be ideal. (I feel someone might have suggested the same
> before, but I can't remember who)
>
> It shouldn't keep contrabutors from writing such documents in OpenSimulator
> Wiki. Our purpose are varies, so it should be always open for those who
> wants to contribute the articles. But if we can create the scheme of
> "Mash-up" the OpenSimulator-related documentations, OpenSimulator community
> (includes kin projects, blogs, forums or such) will accurate toward mature
> community as a whole.
>
> Thank you for reading. *Steps down from soapbox*
> Again, comments will be appreciated.
>
> ------
>
> Makopoppo (Makiko Nomura)
>
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>
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