I am interested in simplifying the user experience with Plucker by having server-side distilling.
For who particularly? For content which you specify? An implementation for a company intranet with relatively fixed content which all users share can be cobbled together relatively simply. The server would compile the pdbs at fixed intervals and you can have a script on the users machine download and install them at sync time.
It would be for content that I specify. With my immediate need, a schedule of dances, venues for the dances, and directions on how to get to the places where the events take place (both on PDA and on cellphone). I want people to be able to download the schedules when they HotSync. These people are not on an intranet, but are out in the big wide world somewhere. I know distilling the files on the server is really easy. Just getting the distilled content to the users of the service is where I got stuck.
If you are just thinking a general service for anyone to use for any content they like, it gets just a _bit_ more complicated.
I thought about that as well. Something like AvantGo where users of the service can specify their content in one place and have it all happen quickly. But this isn't my first priority.
There's no current implementations, but anything's possible if you're willing to code it. ;)
Which I am. Willing to code it, that is. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing existing yet. Adam's package using ATP sounds like it would work, but I don't know enough about ATP to know if this solution would have a big footprint on the Palm and overkill for my situation. A customized solution would just delete all content associated with a given Plucker document and download the new content might be much smaller and more efficient for most users. But certainly Adam's would mean you have one content management system as opposed to a customized one for everything.
If the point is to make things as simple as possible for normal users, why not just configure the users' distiller so they don't have to interact with it at all? There are already conduits for Plucker desktop and JPluck which will grab content on a schedule and install it on sync time.
I could be completely wrong about this, so please tell me if I am mistaken. If people have to download the Plucker desktop, that is a big download, what with Python and everything. It is just a one-time thing, but that one-time cost keeps some people from installing software. Especially if they are on a dialup connection. And, if they are on a dialup connection, it would be nice to download their content in a compressed form so they don't tie up their phone line for a long time downloading the original and then distilling it client side.
I don't think having conduits for downloading specified content also precludes someone from using the distiller on their machine. It just means that they are getting some of their content faster.
Also, a step gets cut out for users who don't revel in having complete flexibility in everything they do. A quicker learning curve (just the Plucker app, rather than the app and the desktop) means they can more quickly use the app, fall in love with it, and then decide to do that huge download to get the desktop and distiller.
IMO, where Plucker is really lacking is getting the channel info from a browser/etc. into the distiller software in one click. Solve this and you can prepackage a distiller which will hide everything else from the user.
I agree with that. I should download the FlingIt stuff and look at it.
Unless you're hoping to start a website which will offer this service. Check the list archives for messages about my.plkr.org and PODS for some
of the potential problems there...
I will. Thanks.
-Keith
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