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#1 2008-01-22 22:37:47

jm
Plugin Author
From: Missoula, MT
Registered: 2005-11-27
Posts: 1,746
Website

[wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

TextBook should use Textpattern! I’m serious, MediaWiki is a pain to use, especially when you’re used to Textile. I hate that there’s no obvious hierarchy and that pages get lost in the wiki. Given wiki accounts are manually created, I don’t see any problem with using TXP authors or copy editors.

I’m not suggesting we clone a wiki with Textpattern. All that’s needed of the TextBook is a clean, logical place to store documentation. I don’t think we need discussion or history pages. Well, maybe history in the event someone destroys everything. But the point is, I think a wiki is overkill.

What do you all think? From what I gather, most TXP users hate editing the MediaWiki entries.

This is just a rough section/URL structure TextBook should have:

  • semantics/
    • goals/
    • design/
  • guides/
    • installation
    • moving-hosts
    • using-svn
  • tutorial/
    • faq
    • archive-lists-by-month/
  • tags/
    • article
    • article_custom

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#2 2008-01-23 00:08:17

Gocom
Developer Emeritus
From: Helsinki, Finland
Registered: 2006-07-14
Posts: 4,533
Website

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

Yep, I think soo too. Textbook is really messy and it’s almost impossible to find anything there. Even finding the Textpattern tag-list is behind of woods, under rocks. My first exps with Textbook were horrible, meaning you can’t find anything from there.

Textpattern would allow us to do more semastic model, and it would be 200% easier to navigate. Come on, can you seriously say that Textbook is easy to navigate? I think not. It’s actually bad even in category of wiki.

Cheers!

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#3 2008-01-23 23:18:43

hakjoon
Member
From: Arlington, VA
Registered: 2004-07-29
Posts: 1,634
Website

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

MediaWiki is a giant PIA imo. I think originally MediaWiki was chosen for multi language support.

Is that something we could achieve with the MLP now a days? Other then that there is the issue of moving the existing content into a TXP install. Also TXP doesn’t make it nearly as easy to create inter page links.

I would love to switch to something that doesn’t get updated as often as MediaWiki like DokuWiki.

If someone wants to run with this let me know and I can see about adding a TXP install. Also if anyone wants access to change things around in the wiki template or whatever just drop me a line. The keys will happily be shared.


Shoving is the answer – pusher robot

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#4 2008-01-24 00:25:01

jm
Plugin Author
From: Missoula, MT
Registered: 2005-11-27
Posts: 1,746
Website

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

hakjoon, I think MLP could handle it, although the IRC consensus was to complete the English docs first, then internationalize later.

I’ll gladly get started – do you want to setup a dummy subdomain or something? I can also set one up on my server while we’re migrating and restructuring entries.

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#5 2008-01-24 00:35:15

Mary
Sock Enthusiast
Registered: 2004-06-27
Posts: 6,236

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

The downside to using Txp is:

  • defacement and mistakes – a wiki keeps a history you can one-click revert back to when that happens
  • whom changed what and when? – a wiki usually allows you to track that with feeds

I would recommend DokuWiki, if you want to switch to something else.

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#6 2008-01-24 00:50:59

jm
Plugin Author
From: Missoula, MT
Registered: 2005-11-27
Posts: 1,746
Website

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

I wonder if md_versions would work.

DokuWiki might work, it’s just I’m feeling so anti-wiki right now I can’t bear to check it out :P.

Last edited by jm (2008-01-24 00:51:38)

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#7 2008-01-24 00:55:01

hakjoon
Member
From: Arlington, VA
Registered: 2004-07-29
Posts: 1,634
Website

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

Yeah I’m hesitant to lose the history. How do people feel about DokuWiki? It can use Textile but I don’t know if everything works the same. I think to get wiki links you still need to use wiki [syntax]

But not having the extremely painful upgrades for MediaWiki would be a win for me.

In fact if someone wants to take over as the keeper of the documentation software or just wants to do stuff with it just let me know. I just offered to help Destry with the installs and stuff at one point so I don’t have some grand plan for the docs or anything.


Shoving is the answer – pusher robot

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#8 2008-01-24 01:08:10

Mary
Sock Enthusiast
Registered: 2004-06-27
Posts: 6,236

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

I think (correct me if I’m wrong) that md_versions isn’t automatic, that you have to manually save each “version”.

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#9 2008-01-24 17:31:11

zero
Member
From: Lancashire
Registered: 2004-04-19
Posts: 1,470
Website

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

I’d like to help. I’ve been put off by the wiki previously. At the moment I am very busy till the end of March and then I should be back to my normal idleness. I’m your man for the boring tasks like copying and pasting etc.


BB6 Band My band
Gud One My blog

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#10 2008-01-24 19:38:22

jm
Plugin Author
From: Missoula, MT
Registered: 2005-11-27
Posts: 1,746
Website

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

Mark my words zero, we’ll be done with TXP docs before then :). Or at least I hope so.

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#11 2008-01-25 16:43:32

els
Moderator
From: The Netherlands
Registered: 2004-06-06
Posts: 7,458

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

jm

I don’t get it?

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#12 2008-01-25 21:21:54

jm
Plugin Author
From: Missoula, MT
Registered: 2005-11-27
Posts: 1,746
Website

Re: [wiki] MediaWiki to Textpattern

Els, what do you need clarification of? The executive summary is:

  • MediaWiki is a pain to use
  • It’s highly disorganized
  • TXP is neither of which
  • TXP would lead to easy-to-find and read documentation

Of course if you meant my comment to zero, then what I meant is we’ll be done with the MediaWiki to TXP migration before March.

Last edited by jm (2008-01-25 21:30:57)

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