Hi Yohan, A couple thoughts:
1. We have contractual obligations to publish those materials where they currently are meaning as curated documentation on a website. For example the Scenario Development for Contingency Planning (SD4CP) program uses both the Beginner and Intermediate documentation as part of our program. That documentation was specifically paid for through the SD4CP program. The advanced materials were actually paid for through the program as well, but currently are not in use. 2. Yes Github is not open-source but git is, meaning we can move and clone the materials at anytime. The InaSAFE/QGIS materials in SD4CP are published through Sphinx instead also using git. 3. I think there is a place for "finished" documentation. There are plenty of places in the wiki that are very confusing for even advanced users. 4. Maybe the advanced materials could be moved to the wiki, but I'd like to hear from other projects that are specifically uses LearnOSM and contracted to do so. -Kate On Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 10:45 AM, Yohan Boniface <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Hotties, > > > LearnOSM does a very great job in catching the newbies, giving them good > basis to start contributing to OpenStreetMap. The new design powered by > Mapbox is awesome, modern, and very attractive. > LearnOSM is with no doubt, a very important pillar of OSM. > Nevertheless, I have some concerns about its perimeter. > Here is my point: as I've stated, I have no problem about the function of > LearnOSM for newbies, but I doubt that it is a good way of storing more > advanced learning material. > OSM has already a wiki for this. And the wiki *is* part of the toolbox of > learning for an OSM editor. And thus isn't that the final step of LearnOSM > should be to guide the now-no-more-newbie to the wiki? > > I see some disadvantages in using LearnOSM instead of the wiki for > *intermediate and advanced* materials: > > - the workflow for publishing/updating the data is centralized: only the HOT > Github members (I am one) have the authorization to publish things > > - the workflow for creating and updating the documentation is much harder: > using git is not like editing a wiki, and recent discussions on IRC (in > #hot), emails, and on Github issues shows that this is an obstacle for some > of us > > - we should avoid creating a monoculture based on non open source and non > community based technologies, and, just a reminder, Github is not open > source > > So here is what I suggest: > > - stop publishing intermediate and advanced chapter through LearnOSM > > - move the "Editing the wiki" chapter as last chapter of the beginners > section > > - start contributing and focus to the wiki again, adding the advanced > chapters, and translation, and everything > > - (why not) revamping the wiki look, to make it a little bit more attractive > and modern (yeah, long process, full of trolls in talk@, etc., but that's a > community way of growing, and that's what OSM is, a community). > > Of course, this is just my opinion. > > Again, LearnOSM is a very nice and important project, I'm just wondering > about using it for advanced materials. > > Thanks for reading, please discuss, > > Yohan > > _______________________________________________ > HOT mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot _______________________________________________ HOT mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot
