Re: No XML specifications

Ok, this time I have directed my "reply" to site-comments@w3.org....

Maybe something as simple as an additional link "Documents" or
"Documentation" or "Specifications" on the blue banner at the top.  
[I don't know WHY I never noticed that banner before.]   
Then one should arrive at a page organized by *topic*, including 
*just* the things the newcomer or user would care about.
I'm picturing something like this:

	HTML
		HTML tutorial
		HTML 4 standard
		HTML 3.2 standard
		HTML 2.0 standard
		link to other documents
	XML
		XML FAQ
		Introduction to XML
		XML Specifications
	XHTML
	(etc)


BTW, I *love* the w3 site and have used it over the years
as a primary source for material I use in classes.  Too 
often, secondary sources turn out to be wrong.

I think if you made your site more beginner-friendly, more
people might tend to follow your advice and buy in to your 
point of view.  Today's beginner is tomorrow's practitioner. :-)


> 
> Professor Krumme,
> 
> Please send these comments to site-comments@w3.org (or
> if you wish, I can forward them). It's good for us to
> archive suggestions like this.
> 
> We've been asked in the past to make it easier to find
> specifications. What would you suggest instead of
> "technical report"? Documents? Publications? At the
> least, we could include such entries in the site index.
> 
> We'd like to have different views of our tech reports,
> which might make it easier to find the XML spec. But
> our search engine is supposed to be useful; I'm glad
> you found what you were looking for.
> 
> 
> I have started work on a "New to W3C?" page, but I'm
> busy with other projects so I don't know when it will
> be done.
> 
> Thanks again for sending comments,
> 
>   - Ian
> 
> Prof. David Krumme wrote:
> 
> > Thanks for the reply.
> > 
> > Now I see that the blue banner contains links.  But I didn't know that
> > I was looking for a "technical report"...The XML spec is still pretty hard
> > to find, it's umpteenth-down in a list of hundreds...
> > 
> > The "site index" has a link XML that goes to www.w3.org/XML which seems
> > to contain no link to actual XML specifications.
> > 
> > My needs are met and I just thought user feedback would be helpful to you.
> > It is my impression that your web pages are organized along the same lines
> > as your organization and its activities--by date, by group, by type of
> > document.  If you want the site to be useful to non-w3c-members, then it
> > would be better to organize it by topic, with the most common things the
> > easiest to find.  Maybe your site is only for w3c insiders, and users who
> > just want to learn XML or XHTML or HTML should go elsewhere...I just don't
> > know where...
> >  
> > 
> >>Prof. David Krumme wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>Despite a lot of effort, I was unable to find any link to
> >>>any XML specifications through your Web presence.  (I found
> >>>tons of other interesting material.)
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>Follow the "Technical Reports" link from the home page.
> >>You will find all of the tech reports we publish.
> >>
> >>Or try the site index, linked from the home page.
> >>
> >>I'm glad the search helped you.
> >>
> >>  _ Ian
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>It seems to me that learning HTML, XML, XHTML, etc would be
> >>>one of the main things that would draw users to your site,
> >>>and that you could at least provide some useful links, if not
> >>>the actual information.
> >>>
> >>>Through a search on Google, I discovered www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml.  :-)
> >>>
> >>>-David Krumme
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>-- 
> >>Ian Jacobs (ij@w3.org)   http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
> >>Tel:                     +1 718 260-9447
> >>
> >>
> >>
> > 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Ian Jacobs (ij@w3.org)   http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
> Tel:                     +1 718 260-9447
> 
>

Received on Tuesday, 22 January 2002 01:11:15 UTC