[sword-devel] Taming Wild Threads (was: Getting stuff done (Re: External links))

[Chris Little]

Matthew Talbert wrote:
>> The present thread was begun because Karl recommended a solution that is
>> in opposition to our fundamental move towards OSIS and TEI and that had
>> no guarantee of working outside of GnomeSword.
> 
> You can't see any irony in the fact that the solution you proposed was
> guaranteed to not work on any platform? Karl's solution works right
> now in Gnomesword, so his advice could be very helpful for someone in
> the beginning stages of module creation who wants to be able to see
> results immediately for testing. This is my current situation. There
> is no reason the module couldn't later be turned into OSIS when the
> cross-references are supported.

Well, the question pertained specifically to usage of TEI, and TEI has 
linking syntax, and what Karl replied was not that syntax. The original 
post was expressing a desire to work within the markup goals to which 
CrossWire aspires. At the moment, modules in this format exist. They're 
out there (in beta). Some rendering filters need work and frontends 
potentially need to add link handling.

> While this is an open source project, it appears to me that if you
> really want people to use OSIS you will have to do some more
> evangelizing to get the frontend developers and module makers on
> board. By evangelizing, I mean explaining clearly the benefits, and
> providing documentation. The frontends have enough inertia now that
> crosswire can't simply dictate these things and tell them to look at
> the code to see how to imlement.

Evangelism to frontend developers isn't particularly necessary, as I see 
it. If they want to support the latest content, they will need to 
support OSIS and TEI. And that support will largely be provided to the 
frontends by the API, probably because I them (BT being slightly 
exceptional, but I expect they'll just copy and modify the TEIHTMLHREF 
filter).

Use of OSIS and TEI by module developers will come by virtue of their 
wanting their content on crosswire.org. And, I'll mention, I really 
haven't had any difficulty getting module developers to provide OSIS or 
TEI content. (Valid content can be an issue, but the rudiments of good 
markup are always there and the will is there.)

No one has told the frontends to "look at the code to see how to implement".

--Chris