I dip in here now and then, and I'm sure I'm not the only person who does so.
It's hard to keep track without checking in more frequently than I usually have time for. To give an example: I thought I saw a pinned message a while ago indicating that anyone using TiddlySpot needed to backup their TWs as it was closing. Now I see references to it as if that hasn't happened? So, do I search on TiddlySpot and go through posts? I wouldn't have to do this if there was a TiddlyWiki newsletter, which could of course be hosted on a TiddlyWiki, with some summary info of, e.g. - Core developments - New plugins - Issues discussed in the google group - New applications with links - Other Notes I'm sure I'm not the only person who gets newsletters and reports periodically, by email, that get converted into tiddlers (one of my most useful applications of TiddlyWiki; saves having to wade through Word files later to write up project reports). *Suggestion:* a TiddlyWiki newsletter hosted in TiddlyWiki would be good. Alternatively, a blog with tags corresponding to topics such as I've enumerated. Either way, with user surveys as a regular feature (see the Distrowatch <http://www.distrowatch.com> weekly e.g.) If I can make a Linux analogy, TiddlyWiki feels rather like a rolling release like Arch. For years now the most successful distributions (Linux Mint, Ubuntu and many derivatives) have followed a six-monthly release cycle with long term support versions every 2 years. I appreciate that that cadence might not suit many who show up here, but it does have advantages in terms of having stable releases for documentation and issue tracking. Maybe the Linux kernel is a better analogy -- it goes through point revisions all the time, and what version is incorporated is in part a function of the timing of the release of a new distribution. In any case, a key benefit of this splitting updates into what in Debian terms is "stable" (long term support) and "testing" (latest) releases is that people can install which ever suits and then tune in to what they need to know with corresponding frequency. Those to whom stability is paramount can pick an LTS release and forget about tracking breakages and fixes for a good while--apart from anything that needs to be backported (security fixes in particular). My impression is that the TW community is fizzing with creativity but that the TiddlyVerse, to coin a word (if it hasn't been coined), is that it's not as accessibly organized and structured for new users who are not developers and occasional updaters (like me) as it might be. This is an observation and not a complaint. There have been some interesting discussion of TiddlyWiki "journeys" which I think reflect some of the same perceptions but I am not sure what actions if any have or may result -- I'd have to start reading posts when a newsletter or blog would keep me informed more conveniently and perhaps flag something I might be able to contribute to without having to stay abreast of everything (which I have to say an impressive number of people *seem* to do, and new people too, which is great). *Suggestion*: TiddlyWiki would benefit from some comparison with other open source projects and borrowing of good practices regarding user engagement, and then making some deliberate choices based on community feedback Some examples, just picking a few things that come to mind that I actively like about some other projects (not at all an exhaustive comparison) Linux Mint: - The Mint community solicits donations and publishes information about the money received. I give money every month because I use it and I get satisfaction from supporting the remorseless improvement of a truly fantastic public good. - There's a developer blog: segfault.linuxmint.com ; also useful for people to keep an occasional eye on what's coming - The home page at linuxmint.com provides links to all the important resources at a glance and is attractively presented; I hope nobody will be offended if I say that TiddlyWiki by comparison has seemed as if trying harder to explain what it is, *using TiddlyWiki*, than in providing an at-a-glance link to ALL the key resources. I apologize if this is unfair, it's a subjective impression. I know it's improved a lot but I have wondered if the having to be its own showcase has been a straightjacket. - The software itself tells you that updates are available and they're easily installed (true of most distributions of course) - Documentation exists in many languages An interesting question perhaps: *What would persuade you to make an annual contribution to TiddlyWiki?* WeeWX: This is an application that interacts with a weather station and which publishes data and graphs to databases and web sites (weewx.com). I use it on a raspberry pi to run a small web site for my weather station. - There are TWO Google Groups: one of developers and one for users. I think this works well and improves the focus and reduces the traffic for both - The web site has a world map showing where users are located. I've yet to contact anyone near me but it's interesting and I like knowing. - Users can and do contribute extensions which they can document and provide links to via a wiki maintained in github (community curated documentation) - WeeWX sites are themeable; (I used to use TiddlyThemes, now sadly a site for WordPress stuff. I've lost track of what's doable now with TW) It's a much less active project but somehow the size of the radar needed, if I can put it like that, is small, and the presentation of information to users is, overall, exemplary. I could enumerate others; the point is not criticism, but just to suggest that it might be useful to collate ideas on what people find valuable about *other projects* and then see if there are things that could be borrowed and how to go about making those decisions. Maybe it's worth making the governance and decision making process clearer? I confess it's not something I have actively sought to apprehend but my equally casual understanding of that for Joomla <http://www.joomla.org>, Ghost <http://ghost.org> and others is clearer. This may be my fault and maybe it doesn't matter from a software development POV, but I think it *does* when it comes to many other things (release management, support, documentation, translation, user engagement etc.). In short, I think what TiddlyWiki needs is more organized, structured attention to all the things besides the code and that certain difficulties arise from that being moving target, among other things. Anyway, I'm happy to see discussions here about how to make TiddlyWiki more accessible. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TiddlyWiki" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. 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