[Gvsig_english] COMMUNITY COLLABORATION ON DOCUMENTATION IN gvSIG 1.9 (BN 1253) -- trialling Plone (gvSIG) for community documentation

[Simon Cropper (Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd)]

Hi Everyone,

I have published some documents on the "Test Community Documents Zone" 
<https://gvsig.org/web/projects/contrib/community-doc/pub/test-docs> of 
the www.gvSIG.org website.

Getting Sextante 0.5 to work with gvSIG Version 1.9 (BN 1253) 
<https://gvsig.org/web/projects/contrib/community-doc/pub/test-docs/getting-sextante-0-5-to-work-with-gvsig-version-1-9-bn-1253/>

Freely available raster and vector data available on the Internet 
<https://gvsig.org/web/projects/contrib/community-doc/pub/test-docs/freely-available-raster-and-vector-data-available-on-the-in-internet/>

People watching this mail list will have noted there has been a 
upwelling of enthusiasm to get some work started on creating some new 
English documentation and translating the core manual for 1.9 into 
Italian and English.

Anyone interested should view this page and read how it is done and look 
at the results of a bit of effort by myself. Not bad for a first effort 
- lots of lists and links though.

First, anyone out there interested in participating should contact the 
gvSIG team and let them know. The more that help the quicker the job 
will get done. Also no one person or group think alike -- different 
perspectives, ideas, workflows, tutorials and how-tos are needed. Try 
the system so when we make the choice of whether to go to Plone or a 
Wiki it is based on a understanding of the programs.

If anyone is out there that is already registered on Plone. Please edit 
my Test Collaboration Page 
<https://gvsig.org/web/projects/contrib/community-doc/pub/test-docs/test-collaboration-document?portal_status_message=Changes%20saved.>. 
Only registered user will be able to see and edit the file. I want to 
test collaboration and merging of different versions by different 
people. Conversely, can someone create a document I can try and edit.

**** MY IMPRESSIONS SO FAR ****

   1. Plone is relatively intuitive, although it is a bit unclear at
      times how the trial system has been setup. That said, I have found
      Jorge Gaspar extremely helpful in clarifying how the system works.
   2. The gvSIG Documentation Team uses reStructure Text (RST) to create
      there documentation: not dissimilar to the standard markup text
      you encounter on wikis and forums elsewhere.
          * Apparently the reason for this is that it helps in
            translating a document.
          * RST, although easy to learn, is unforgiving as the
            punctuation/markup needs to be exact.
          * The Plone Editor allows you to save a file and render the
            document. A bit slow but usable.
          * Details exist on the "Test Community Documents Zone"
            <https://gvsig.org/web/projects/contrib/community-doc/pub/test-docs>
            on running gedit as a text editor with syntax formatting for
            RST. I got this to work on Windows XP with a little effort.
            Unfortunately gedit does not provide you with the ability to
            render your code to see your result. I presume gedit is used
            to create the initial drafts of documents.
   3. What is needed is an editor that has syntax highlighting for RST
      and can render the output to a HTML document. If anyone knows of
      an editor that does this on Windows or Ubuntu I would be
      interested to know.

-- 

Cheers Simon

Simon Cropper
Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd
PO Box 160, Sunshine, Victoria 3020.
P: 9311 5822. M: 041 830 3437.
mailto: scropper at botanicusaustralia.com.au 
<mailto:scropper at botanicusaustralia.com.au>
web: www.botanicusaustralia.com.au <http://www.botanicusaustralia.com.au>