"Randal L. Schwartz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >>>>> "Matt" == Matt Sergeant <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> Matt> I'd love to get all of these onto take23, but of course that
requires some
> Matt> sort of effort from someone to gather them together and put together
a web
> Matt> page (in XML!). Volunteers?
>
> They really also belong on perl.apache.org, unless take23 is supposed
> to be taking over that responsibility, or unless take23 will have a
> VERY PROMINENT link on perl.apache.org.
i have to say i really like the look and feel of Matt's take23.org. (and by
the way, for those, like me, who can't seem to keep up with reading *every*
message on this list... it's take23.ORG. I went looking for "take23" and i
can attest that the cryptic but nicely designed take23.COM, has nothing at
all to do with mod_perl on it :-))
i for one would like to see take23.org become "the place" for people
deciding if mod_perl is for them, getting started with it, and keeping up
with the latest and greatest. i did turn my nose up at the banners at
first, but on second thought, i'm even more *thoroughly* sick of open-source
resource sites that are plain (unintesting, visually) and whose content is
stale due to a lackluster (volunteer) maintenance. so, if some ad-income
keeps take23 fresh and useful, i think i could be bothered to remember the
URL :-)
> "take23" doesn't mean anything for me with respect to "mod_perl" by
> the way. Is there a secret handshake^Wmnemonic that I can remember
> the name of that website? perl.apache.org was easy to remember.
well, i think it just takes some getting used to. good names (for
businesses, products, extraction and reporting languages) all tend to seem
arbitrary, the first time you hear them. but the more arbitrary they are
the better they are associated with *your* thing, in the long run (assuming
the "branding" is successful). take "pepsi" for instance. a more arbitrary
and meaningless word would be hard to find, and yet... a brand that's
extrordinary well associated with a particular company's cola (that is, btw,
otherwise indistinguishable form all other companys' colas).
i'm only a relatively recent initiate to mod_perl, and still somewhat
OS-challenged (i.e. windows user) but i think that a large part of the need
for advocacy & mindshare gains is due to a plain-jane hardcore techie image
that mod_perl has, and that's probably due to the way it's currently
presented on the web (at least it was, for me, and i consider myself a
semi-hardcore techie).
XML is a good contrast. XML is a very techie-only technology, also pretty
hardcore and yet, XML has an extremely sexy web image. corporations can't
wait to adopt it. they don't even know what it IS, or what it's FOR, and
they still want it :-) why?
just take a look at
xml.org
xml.com
xslt.com
xmlsoftware.com
and even the somewhat annoying xmlresources.com
all include advocacy and are carefully targeted toward new users.
heck, even xml.apache.org seems to the first time visitor quite a bit
more polished and complete than www.apache.org (OR perl.apache.org, for
that matter...)
and contrast the first-impressions these sites make with impression made on
the merly mod_perl curious masses visiting:
modperl.com (about a book, not webserver software)
modperl.org (a non-page placeholder)
modperl.net (this page !~/(mod)|(perl)/)
now, i understand that THE place for mod perl *is* perl.apache.org, but it's
not all that easy to guess (for those who've merely heard that "mod perl" is
something to look into). the easy-to-guess sites above should take the
uninitiated by the hand, inform them what the technology is all about, where
it stands, who's using it, and guide them down the path to becoming another
advocate! right?
i hope no one takes offense at this message, because i'm certainly not
trying to belittle the efforts of the webmaster(s) of perl.apache.org
(whomever they may be) and other current modperl resource sites, as i'm sure
they're all heroic and selfless champions for the cause! but as much as i
dread maketing, sometimes it is a necessary evil...
and i'd certainly be willing to contribute to the efforts of updating and
maintaining take23.org, modperl.* and other advocacy sites along these lines
(although my skills are more along the lines of CGI and MySQL, i don't mind
doing site architecture, or navigation html and graphics for a good cause).
btw, what's exactly is the deal with modperl.org? perhaps the first order
of bu$iness might be acquiring this domain name (or the right to maintain
the content on it) from it's current owner?
-dave
