On Feb 24, 2005, at 5:15 AM, Van-Couvering,EJ (pgr) wrote:
First, I take it from the design docs that we propose, in phase one, to only allow access to OoBib from within OoWriter.� I would like to urge that we rethink that decision and somehow allow the database GUI to be opened standalone.� I have two main reasons for this:�
��� 1) I personally very often work with the database of my thesis notes without any reference document in mind, and it wouldn't make sense to me to have to open a document (which I won't use) to get access to those notes.� Also because I'm paranoid about my notes, I'd like to be SURE they will be there for me if I have to use another word-processor.� I really don't like the feeling of lock-in this proposal gives me.�
��� 2) EndNote and the other bibliographic programs are rather expensive - about �70 now ($135) student prices at my institution.� One of my reasons for wanting to help out on this project is to provide an alternative in terms of price - but many people can't switch word processors because of institutional reasons (like, we are barred from installing programs), so it would be nice to be able to give them something they can use.� I bet the IS people would consider an alternate bib program before they would switch from Word.� Especially if we can add an IMPORT function, which I didn't see anywhere.
This is a tricky issue. We are planning that the database itself be independent of OOo, and to use a standard interface that would allow it to be used elsewhere.
In principle, I prefer the idea that GUI for managing references (as opposed to the citations in the document). In practice, we may have some technical challenges (how to code the GUI to be independent).
In the document GUI "style" element (p9), we say "A style must be selected before the first insertion is made."� I think we should have a default style, and the user should then be able to change the style in the document -- in other words, styles shouldn't be fixed for a particular document.�
Right.
I think the BibDB should contain ALL the information, and that there should be a default setting about what subset is included as the "travelling library" (to borrow an EndNote term) with the document.� The travelling library contents should be able to be changed by the author of the document, and the travelling library ought to be able to be exported into a proper BibDB by the reader of the document.�
All fine, except the part about "be able to be changed." I think that'd be difficult to manage.
BibDB (p14) - "a major issues is whether a document can contain insertions from more than one BibDB" Yes, please!!!!� I have a range of databases more or less categorised by subject (sort of ), and I would like to be able to access them all, not to have to go through some cumbersome cut-and-paste process to be able to insert a reference I already have.
I'm going to throw out a strong contrary opinion, in the interest of debate.
If you have more than one database for different subjects, then this is because your application is not a very good database application. If searching is easy and efficient, and storage robust, why should you need more than one database?
I have 1,500 records (that used to be in Endnote) in an XML database. I often accidentally find stuff I didn't know I needed because the searching functionality is simply much better than in Endnote.
And if you allow more than one database, how are you and your formatting processor going to know where the bibliographic records are?
Regarding indexes (p15) "Will OOoBib queries allow the use of any type of controlled vocabular(ies?), such as LCSH or MeSH?"�
I say this is v2 stuff, because it adds another layer of complexity.
Can we arrange it so that we have a default type of search, but that we can make some type of configurable search interface so that particular sources can have different types of controlled or uncontrolled searches?� For example, we could define a generic "bibliographic database" search which included author, title, date, and subject, but eliminate subject from databases that don't work that way?
I'm personally of the opinion that we need to learn not from library databases here, but from Google. The basic search field should work exactly like Google. I should just be able to type:
"political theory" Foucault
... and get the documents I need. The same logic ought to work for inserting citations.
Bruce
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