View Full Version : idea: "thinWiki"
ReneMiner
19-03-2014, 20:06
it's not a software-idea though this is the ideas-section, but the last thought before I fell asleep yesterday:
Why not have some online-"wiki" for thinBasic - (and also suggest this for oxygen)
- which could support the traditional help-file and might replace it some day?
(still could be saved to some offline-version)
- think of the advantages: could help developers since they only have to approve it if others added something - also quickly add something that was just asked in the forum anyway & link the example before forget again etc.
Petr Schreiber
19-03-2014, 20:57
I think there was a thinBasic wiki in the past, I think at wikiDot. It didn't last very long.
But!
As of today, I really fully support your idea - especially the idea of community driven documentation. It could represent platform which could be used to keep the docs growing and Eros would just copy the contents before new release to help file. I already did an list of "needs to be amended" at Google Docs for those interested.
Petr
If it's of any interest there's been a wiki for Basic4GL hosted on Wikispaces (http://basic4gl.wikispaces.com/) since 2006 which can be edited by anyone.
You might want to create an account there fast and create a wiki because I think the thinbasic name is still available.
ReneMiner
20-03-2014, 11:33
think it would be great for us users too- have all needed information of all modules together at one place instead of having to browse a dozen sites and help-files.
I could very well imagine some O2-wiki too that could be linked to the O2-module-section of thinBasic - so we have all the information displayed in the same window and it would probably an advantage if more programming-languages could use the same "programming-language-wiki-software" so it has to be invented just once.
Some user that has created some module could add his "help-file" in the same appearance as all other stuff already is, so it all follows the same rules.
Other users that "just" suggested a function that has been implemented could support developers and saving them lots of time if they would document the new function instantly online so other users that not participated in the "invention-thread" could get the needed information how to use the new function.
Lots of new functions get mentioned in detail in some thread together with the currently new thinBasic X.X.XX.X-beta - but who knows after a while which version that was and what thread to look for some example?
How many functions does tB have that none knows about anything at all because it has been completely forgotten to document these?
How many functions does tB have that none except the dev knows how to use or what parameters to pass and what result to expect?
How many functions do have undocumented exceptional behaviour and how many keywords are not documented at all?
How many functions are documented in a minimum way so beginners do not understand the purpose of it?
How many tricks have you discovered already to use some feature in an extraordinary way - where the devs never thought about?
How many users have to learn something about a language before they can use it to its full capacity?
Lots of, lots of, lots of...
If I imagine, Eros would have to complete the current tB-offline-help all alone and he would start instantly today and he would do nothing else than working at the help file, how many months would he need?
How long would we have to wait until he has finally some time to think about a new feature or to fix something?
PS. "My Game" has been updated, so I will have to do some more beta-testing in the next few hours (or days if it's good ;) )