discuss: Linux documentation wiki
Subject:
Re: Linux documentation wiki
From:
Boxcar Poet ####@####.####
Date:
13 Jan 2002 09:11:40 -0000
Message-Id: <20020113091139.33459.qmail@web14302.mail.yahoo.com>
> From: John Tapsell ####@####.####
>
> Using a wiki would be very useful on the main LDP site for people to
> update/edit the howto's.
>
> I haven't seen this discussed - thoughts?
I've seen this idea discussed before on other mailing lists... my reply
is the same: "Heck NO!"
Could you imagine what would happen if programmers did this? Grant CVS
access to any joker who asked? Who blindly applied code patches without
looking at them? You'd have bug-riddled, security-comprised,
uncompilable code in no time flat. (Also consider the potential
problems in the current legal environment with trade secrets,
copyright, and software patents.)
Think about it: Who owns the words in a Wiki? How may I re-use those
words (licensing)? Do you want to risk the entire Wiki on someone's
copyright violation? What happens when two different posts contradict
each other? Who's responsible for correctness and consistency? Who's
responsible for keeping it up-to-date?
The only way to do documentation right is to have a central maintainer
or editorial board that accepts submissions. They check every
submission for correctness and edit it for consistency with the rest of
the document. Then they add the good submissions to the document, which
is covered under a single license. This process works for programs and
it works for documentation also.
For an example of what madness may come, consider the online PHP Manual
(http://www.php.net/manual/en/) which accepts user comments. Sometimes
the comments contradict each other. Sometimes the comments are
off-topic or juvenile. (Someone probably has to clean things up
periodically.)
Other objections I have can be solved with careful planning. A Wiki
can't be viewed off-line. (wget solves this.) Searching for a keyword
in a Wiki is a pain. (htdig solves this.)
Wiki is a great solution for Weblogs but it's a nightmare for technical
documentation!
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