I have started setting up a google docs folder as a new user 'xcsoar.manual'.
Scot On 22/12/2010, at 12:06 AM, Simon Taylor wrote: > In the last few days I started to take a look at the manual and used > TeX for the first time. I agree with Scott's comments; I've no doubt > that it's a very powerful tool and extremely useful for > professional-looking academic/scientific papers etc, but it restricts > the potential editors to those who are comfortable with coding and the > GIT version control tool. > > I'll put a vote in for Google Documents; though I've little first-hand > experience I've seen other open-source projects use it extensively for > documentation, and I understand the collaborative aspect is relatively > straightforward. Wikis are good, but difficult to adapt to the printed > page. They're also less likely to be used in the workplace (it's nice > to feel you're gaining a useful skill when contributing to an > open-source project). > > Simon > > On 21 December 2010 10:08, Scott Penrose <sco...@dd.com.au> wrote: >> Howdy Robert >> >> On 21/12/2010, at 7:16 PM, Robert Hart wrote: >>> On 20/12/10 09:35, Scott Penrose wrote: >>>> I would like to do a collaborative edited document, preferably online. >>>> Anyone want to suggest any special technology. Choices are: >>>> >>>> * Existing format = tex and use GIT to edit it >>>> * Wiki pages >>>> * Google Docs >>>> * Other ? >>>> >>>> I know John will frown at me for saying this, but I think editing it with >>>> Tex is great for techies, but I would like to see manual contributors who >>>> are in the user space as well as the dev space, and an online edited >>>> system will remove all barriers to entry. >>>> >>>> Thoughts? >>>> >>>> Yes I am putting this to the User team rather than Dev, as I think there >>>> is many users could contribute to the manual. >>>> >>>> BTW. You already have access to editing the wiki, so if there is any FAQ, >>>> Data file questions/answers, preferred setup, ability to share config >>>> files etc, you can already do it on the wiki >>> My feelings are that we should produce the document using software that is >>> already usable by ordinary glider pilots and that means we cannot use Tex. >>> For myself, it has been way too long since I wrote using Tex and I would >>> have to relearn and simply don't have the time to do that. >> >> Yes that is a fair enough response. It all depends on who is doing it. If we >> get 5 people who want to do it who are willing to use Tex, then go for it. >> If not,t hen we use something else :-) >> >> But my feeling is that we will get more people that want to do it in a GUI >> than not. And I think that is fair enough, I am certainly willing to >> coordinate that. >> >>> My suggestion is that we use something like Open/Libre Office for user >>> text. This is open source software (like XCSoar itself) and is readily >>> available at no cost. I have not used OO for a large document, so if its >>> capabilities are not good there, then we may need to migrate the text to >>> something else. I have used MS Word to write several large documents (150+ >>> pages) and that was a bit of a stretch...hopefully OO is better but I don't >>> know! >> >> Unfortunately you can't do effective collaboratively editing with Open >> Office or Word docs - there is no workable merging, so only a single person >> can edit. Not a solution we can use sorry. There is some hacks here, but I >> have worked on many large document projects in Education in Australia and >> they are horrible, you end up putting all the formatting work and merging >> onto one person. >> >> We could however use Google Docs - which feels like a word processor, but >> allows collaborative editing and revisions. >> >>> In hte first instance, I think the project is more manageable and more >>> readily distributed amongst many users if it is in several documents at >>> least during the writing stage. >> >> Of course, as per my email, one doc per section. >> >>> Whatever we use, we really need to produce a document that is PRINTABLE. >>> That way people can sit in their gliders on the ground and play with XCSoar >>> with their instrumentation. If we don't have a format that is printable, I >>> think we are missing the boat for many pilots. >> >> Yes agreed. We must have a nicely formatted PDF that can be printed. It >> should have the usual things like content and index pages. >> >>> I like the idea of having an online document (such as google docs or >>> similar) as this makes collaboration easier (or I hope it would as I have >>> not used it). >> >> I see I have spoken to the converted :-) >> >> Which brings me to - are you happy to be one of the editors? >> >> Thanks >> >> Scooter >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> Lotusphere 2011 >> Register now for Lotusphere 2011 and learn how >> to connect the dots, take your collaborative environment >> to the next level, and enter the era of Social Business. >> http://p.sf.net/sfu/lotusphere-d2d >> _______________________________________________ >> Xcsoar-user mailing list >> Xcsoar-user@lists.sourceforge.net >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/xcsoar-user >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forrester recently released a report on the Return on Investment (ROI) of Google Apps. 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