> PS: We need a better name for this project. Dictionary2, Phrases2,
> Vocabulary2, etc are clunky (plus these efforts aren't really new
> superceding versions, but parallel texts with different goals). I like
> Henry's "Wiktionary" but that name is already taken by a more famous
> project. I'd suggest "DoJ for Dummies" because their motto is "A reference
> for the rest of us", but "for Dummies" is condescending. Ideas?
It's Voc. It's gotta be Voc (...but not as we know it).
Vocipedia
The Alternative Voc
Voc for the rest of us
A Voc for the Silent Majority
The People's Voc (is God's Voc)
Voc for Jesus
The Voc Unlocked
Vocorama
Vockabilly Voc
Voc Around The Clock
Doktor Voc
Brides of Vocula
Box and Voc
CyberVoc
Voc Runner
Terminator 10{a.
Night of the Living Voc
King Voc
Voczilla
The Voc of Ages
His Master's Voc
SuperVoc
Cecil B DeVoc
The Voc of Vocs,
Ich bin ein Voc
Voc Obama
The Voc Campaigning for Democ-racy (after Ogden Nash)
...The Ayatollah of the Voc-racy
nuff let stop ther eh
Ian
On Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 5:10 AM, Dan Bron <[email protected]> wrote:
> (Sorry, there's something wrong with my mail client tonight, it keeps
> sending messages before I complete them.)
>
>> So there's the gauntlet, on the ground...
>
> Henry:
>> I would help. I think this is an important thing to do.
>
> Harvey:
>> MOST CERTAINLY!
>
> Devon:
>> I put up a vocabulary page at http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Vocabulary
>
> Awesome!
>
> Regarding format, I think I would like to stick with Skip's original idea:
>
>> The key idea here is that we are discussing a reference document
>> as opposed to a tutorial
>
> For several reasons: we are writing a Dictionary, and we'd like it
> accessible but not still not bulky, and concentrating on a few common uses
> will definitely clarify those common uses, but it will do so by dispensing
> with irrelevant detail (to those uses), when what we want is a comprehensive
> definition which should cover all detail (and hence all uses, even if
> they're less common).
>
> That's not to say the entries won't contain examples -- even our concise
> existing Dictionary contains examples. The new, verbose one will probably
> contain even more, with commentary. But this will be an ancillary feature.
> But I like Devon's idea and agree with this sentiment:
>
>> Personally, I find specific examples of how an idiom or primitive is
>> used in practice to be [a] helpful form of explanation
>
> So maybe we can have a separate, parallel "guide to J usage" (analogous to
> English usage guides, as the DoJ is analogous to an English dictionary);
> maybe this would be a verbose new Phrase book. And I too agree with James
> Foit regarding hyperlinking, and using links we can weave Dictionary2 and
> Phrases2 together:
>
>> I suspect that the most useful way for newbies to get more help for a
> specific
>> primitive is to provide a "more help" link from each Vocabulary2 entry to
> the
>> tutorial wiki page for that primitive.
>
>> each vocabulary description should ... make the assumption that the user
>> reading the description does not know J, or know any of the terminology
>> used in J. Hyperlinks could be used in the descriptions to help with
>> ancillary definitions and other information.
>
> We could have a "glossary" we could link to, so we could still use technical
> terms, e.g. "frame" or "fill", and not expand on them in every entry, but
> not leave the user scratching his head at their meaning, either.
>
> and regarding Henry's suggestion:
>
>> it would be fabulous if the Wiki pages initially contained the
>> full text from the Dictionary.
>
> We could also link to the definitive DoJ entry, without having to reprise it
> (or keep it up to date), and still allow users to rely on Dictionary2 with
> complete confidence. Of course we can quote and comment upon relevant
> parts directly in the page.
>
> Anyway, Devon has started the effort at
> http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Vocabulary . Interested parties can start
> creating Vocabulary2 entries as subpages of that. Maybe Harvey could get
> the ball rolling by just pasting in his existing write-ups.
>
> -Dan
>
> PS: We need a better name for this project. Dictionary2, Phrases2,
> Vocabulary2, etc are clunky (plus these efforts aren't really new
> superceding versions, but parallel texts with different goals). I like
> Henry's "Wiktionary" but that name is already taken by a more famous
> project. I'd suggest "DoJ for Dummies" because their motto is "A reference
> for the rest of us", but "for Dummies" is condescending. Ideas?
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
