On Tue, Aug 9, 2011 at 7:13 PM, Simone Saviolo <[email protected]> wrote:
> if we make a system that any newcomer can > use completely without even having to dwelve into the details, then we're > basically dumbing it down and limiting its potential. I think we're venturing a bit off topic, but you're keying on to a difference in how various people see the project, and while I don't want to venture too far into navel gazing, seeing this difference really helps underly the differences between how we approach tagging, and other aspects of the project. First, I think it's important to remember that I don't think anyone is advocating removing any existing object types or object classifications, but rather providing feedback to the tagging process about how best to represent something in OSM. In other words, no one's talking about taking relations away, but putting the breaks on a bit where it comes to making new relation types. Now onto your concern about "dumbing down" OSM. Honestly, I don't like that term, because it implies that simple = dumb. That's just not true. When I first got into Linux, I had to compile a new kernel when I got new hardware, and if I changed monitors, I had to edit the X config myself by hand. Now I don't do that. I'm not any dumber. In his recent talk, Andy Allen presented an excellent case for why we need more mappers, and the value of a simple, clean interface for mappers: http://sotm-eu.org/talk?52 When I've taught mappers, I've come to the conclusion that keeping things simple is the best way to encourage more mappers to map, and more mappers means more accuracy and more detail. But it's not just entirely new mappers that we're talking about, but experienced mappers too. I clean up mistakes from experienced mappers almost as often as new mappers! Tools like Potlatch 2 which provide simple interfaces to the data don't "dumb down" the results, they actually seem to increase the quality of the data! I think it's extremely important to teach people the fundamentals of OSM. I encourage users to learn how the system is constructed, but that doesn't mean we need to ignore the tenets of good design. Good design is simple. A translation of a famous Antoine de Exubery quote: "A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Serge _______________________________________________ Tagging mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging
