[Opensim-dev] Some thought about OpenSimulator Wiki future

[Melanie]

It was decided to keep control of our own central repository and not
delegate that to a code warehouse like github. It is a decision I
stand by because I don't like or trust code warehouses.

Melanie

On 05/08/2011 08:27, Jeroen van Veen wrote:
> 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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>> Opensim-dev at lists.berlios.de
>> https://lists.berlios.de/mailman/listinfo/opensim-dev
>>
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