Hi,
> Hi guys,
>
> As the Paris meeting is drawing closer, I invite everyone, and most
> specifically those not able to attend, to let us know what subjects you
> feel need attention during the meeting.
>
> One of the things that will surely be discussed is 2.0, so if there are
> ideas out there about 2.0 and the storage core concepts we've been
> discussing they're certainly relevant.
>
> Emile
Documentation, VMUC, Licensing
Because 2.0 is intended to be a complete rewrite, it presents the
challenge of determining how much time should be invested into the 1.4
specific documentation. I would like all current functionality,
Repligard etc, in stable working order. Then I'd like to see us move our
focus to 2.0.
I'd like to see a VMUCv1.4 that demonstrates the current functionality.
In my opinion, VMUC is the best tool for teaching beginning level users.
If
you're an ISP that wants to offer beginning level users a Midgard based
solution for building sites, our current solution leaves much to be
desired. This is my experience, of course, I basically force fed Midgard
upon my users and didn't have time to create a simple solution for them.
The result is that none of them are actively using Midgard.
For 2.0 I'd like to see introductory topic specific help pages for each
administration tool that lead to the full version of the on-line manual.
This system could be focused on VMUCv2.0 or it could be focused on
the relative tool and then provide links into the respective version of
the VMUC section.
I envision the 1.4 and 2.0 documentation having chapters for specific
functions like SiteGroups, CodeSnippets, BlobServer.
I believe Midgard Publishing Ry will best serve its interests by
inheriting as little responsibility for documentation as possible. This
means writers should retain copyrights and declare their own publishing
license. While MPRy hasn't settled on a publishing license, it appears
likely that GFDL will be the publishing solution. I suspect MPRy will need
to provide an official Manual and that any documentation intended
for inclusion in this manual will have to be licensed GFDL. We could
then include documents separately from the official manual if they use an
alternative license.
The official manual and it's license are important because corporations
choose to adopt solutions based on the ramifications of the license. I
think we want to have our product be freely available to everyone. I base
this assumption on the choice of license for the core Midgard libraries.
In regards to these topics, that's ALL I want. :) You can expect me to
introduce these topics at the Midgard meetings in Paris. If reasonable,
I'll push for us to create a detailed plan for accomplishing these tasks,
assuming they makes sense. In all likelyhood, I'll be staying in Paris
and working full-time on the manual until it's finished. This
considered, it's important for me to determine what's going to be done,
who's going to do it and when it'll be finished.
While there are undeniable perks to living abroad in Paris, this effort
could easily take nine months to complete. This is no small sacrifice to
my immediate business concerns in the US. I wouldn't accept this
responsibility if I didn't anticipate medium and long term benefits and I
do. None the less, I need a realistic plan to work by. Without a
reasonable road map, I'm concerned that my U.S. business efforts will
suffer and consequently so will my effort to produce the official Midgard
manual.
Aurora's official position, according to J-P's news release, is to allow
MPRy to manage its affairs. It's unclear to me where the efforts of
Midgard developers, who are contracted by Aurora, and Aurora's interests
separate. I consider it my responsibility to form a realistic plan for
producing the manual. This plan will consider the proposed deadlines that
are included in the Aurora news release. Without a solid plan, it's
unlikely that I'll feel justified in staying in Paris and I am entirely
dependent on the Midgard team to identify the focus of the manual and
produce the new versions of VMUC, assuming VMUC is part of the focus.
Ron
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