>> The WordPress Handbooks will not be in wiki form. They will be created using >> Subversion. An example is the http://svnbook.red-bean.com/ Version Control >> with Subversion by Ben Collins-Sussman, Brian W. Fitzpatrick, C. Michael >> Pilato. > >I'm trying to understand the problems that will be solved by creating >a Subversion-controlled manual. The practical realities that make >Subversion such a helpful tool for software development are either not >present or already addressed with a wiki. So for example, if the >Codex were overwhelmed by ideologues trying to reshape the Codex, or >if vandalism were a constant problem, then I could understand >tightening up control.
Personally I think this move to Subversion and the model used by the Subversion book is a great idea. As a plugin developer I find the Codex documentation cumbersome and I work offline a lot so having a real reference book would be a huge benefit. I actually have Adobe Acrobat walk the Codex periodically just so I can have something to reference when I am not connected. I do a lot of work when I am on an airplane - offline documentation is a big benefit for me I always keep a PDF version of the Subversion book on my laptop and found it so useful I ordered the printed version from ORA. Besides offline access, the biggest benefit I see is the ability to tag a version of the documentation against a WordPress release. Need to do some work on 2.6.3? You would reference the 2.6.3 SVN branch of the book. No need to worry about heading down a dead end path based on Codex content which is only relevant to a newer release. Right now there is very little information in the Codex that helps you differentiate information which changes from release to release. The same is true for a Wiki. Mike -- Mike Walsh - mike underscore walsh at mindspring dot com _______________________________________________ wp-docs mailing list [email protected] http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-docs
