[sword-devel] [OT] just join, testing only

[Chris Little]

DM Smith wrote:
> Chris,
> 
> I have replicated nearly all the static pages of the CrossWire website  
> into the wiki. I have done this gradually over time. I was frustrated  
> that we would discuss the front page, how it was woefully out of date,  
> having many dead works and not clearly identifying the active and most  
> useful front-ends. (I don't think the front page should be focused on  
> development, but rather should lead to it.) I also noticed that many  
> of the rest of the pages were incorrect (e.g. references to locked  
> modules and how to work to unlock them).
> 
> So I created a personal site map, which I shared here. And then I  
> started adding the content of the static pages into the wiki,  
> correcting them and improving them as we went.
> 
> I think it is important for the CrossWire website to be fresh and  
> current. As one comes to the home page, it should give the best  
> impression. I don't think it does.
> 
> The value of the wiki is that it is a collaborative effort, maintained  
> by everyone and overseen by those that care.
> 
> As to being a developer's place, that may have been the original  
> intent, but it is hardly how it was used. I believe that GnomeSword  
> was the only front-end project that used it as a whiteboard for  
> planning. For whatever reason, that activity has been moved out of the  
> CrossWire wiki. The only development activity has been regarding  
> module development. And that is very good.
> 
> So my recommendation is to leave the wiki as is until such time that  
> the rest of the CrossWire website is being cleaned up and actively  
> maintained by a larger group.
> 
> In Christ's Service,
> 	DM

The problems with using the Wiki in place of the static webpage are 
manifold.

The Wiki is just plain unattractive. We've got a fairly consistent look 
throughout the Sword, CrossWire, JSword, & other crosswire.org-hosted 
sites. The Wiki is has an inconsistent and very plain appearance with 
respect to the Sword site that would presumably point people to it.

Collaborative editing often leads to bad edits. There are parts of the 
CrossWire & Sword sites that are out of date and now possibly 
inaccurate, but edits to the Wiki can (and have at times been) new and 
inaccurate. We get spelling and grammar errors that make us look 
unprofessional. We get branding inconsistencies since not everyone knows 
(or is careful about) the letter casing of the SWORD Project or CrossWire.

I try to read all Wiki edits, and I know I've seen you do corrections in 
the past. But I can't guarantee that I will catch every bad commit and 
it takes time out of my schedule during which I would rather do 
something else.

To some degree, I don't care about the junk that is littered throughout 
the Wiki (the pointless pages, under-construction pages, talk pages, 
etc.) because it is primarily for developers, and the actual users don't 
ever have to see our dirty laundry. If we want to direct more users to 
the Wiki, then it will require significant expense of time by developers 
to constantly improve the quality of the Wiki in the face of continuing 
low quality edits.

If we want a more up-to-date webpage, Wiki is not the answer. A CMS is. 
Wikis are for collaboration and whiteboarding.

--Chris