Re: Introduction / MSDN-js

Hi, Max-

On 4/29/13 9:33 PM, Max Polk wrote:
> Hello Doug,
>
> Doug wrote:
>> So, if you're willing to take charge of making a conversion script, and
>> iterating with it to refine the output, that would be most welcome!
>
> I'll be happy to take charge and work this to completion.

Sweet!


> To begin, I need feedback on two decision points.
>
> ===== Decision 1
>
> Doug wrote:
>> I like the structure that MDN used ..., under these topic clusters:
>> * Objects
>> * Constants
>> * Properties
>> ...[clip]...
>> So, it could look like:
>>   http://docs.webplatform.org/wiki/javascript
>>   →/javascript/objects/
>>   →→/javascript/objects/Date
>> ...[clip]...
>
> Note that at this moment, two sets of existing pages exist in
> different root locations:
>
> [1] http://docs.webplatform.org/wiki/concepts/programming/javascript

I think the stuff here might be "misfiled". The canonical URL should be 
this one [2]:

> [2] http://docs.webplatform.org/wiki/javascript
>
> For example, "objects" are subpages of both of the above with content in them.
>
> Rather than overwriting existing pages with the output of this
> conversion, one idea is to create a third set separate from the above
> two. After conversion is complete and the third set is installed, we
> then begin a new effort to manually edit individual pages from all
> three sets of locations so as to merge it into the final form, with
> an eye on deleting merged pages as you go.
>
> An alternative is move [1] and [2] out of the way to new locations,
> slap the converted pages in the right place, then begin a new effort
> to merge the new locations of [1] and [2] into it.
>
> Even with a test wiki:
>
> [3] http://docs.webplatform.org/test/Main_Page
>
> The point remains the same.  You have to deal with merging and that's manual.

I think the new MSDN source material will be more complete and 
self-consistent, so we should use that as the basis. As you say, we can 
move existing resources aside and merge them with the new sources as needed.


> ===== Decision 2
>
> Since the source content exists at github:
>
> [4] https://github.com/webplatform/msdn-js
>
> And existing tools exist at github:
>
> [5] https://github.com/webplatform/webplatform-tools
>
> I can eventually get the one-time-effort scripts I'm writing there.
>
> But for the mean time I need a testbed where I turn HTML into
> MediaWiki lots of times, where I do mass adds repeatedly in a
> development loop to show the work in progress and get feedback from
> early glances.
>
> This would avoid 400 automated page updates multiple times a day,
> which is spam in anyone's book.
>
> So I'm thinking of creating my own personal area on throwaway
> Mediawiki instance using my own hosting solution, with no Mediawiki
> semantic extensions, just a vanilla instance. I can point people to
> it to show unfit early versions that get better over time, until it's
> deemed ready. Then I push to the test wiki where the environment is
> more accurate to get the final nod. Then I push the final version and
> we're done.

That sounds like a good approach to me.

At some point, we'll need to bring in the template considerations (as 
you know), but we aren't there yet.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the first pass!

Thank you for stepping up!

Regards-
-Doug

Received on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 02:00:20 UTC