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fix: issue2551278 - datetime.datetime.utcnow deprecation. We now use the timezone aware utc dates for python 3.11+. But we have to make all the rest of the dates (datetime.min, unix epoch date) timezon aware so we can subtract them. Also need to marshall/unmarshall timezone aware iso formatted date strings.
author John Rouillard <rouilj@ieee.org>
date Thu, 27 Jul 2023 00:53:36 -0400
parents 1625e129376b
children a03f8f681992
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1 <!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
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2 <html><head>
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3 <title>Roundup: an Issue-Tracking System for Knowledge Workers</title>
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4 <link rev=made href="mailto:ping@lfw.org">
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5
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6 <link rel="canonical"
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7 href="https://www.roundup-tracker.org/docs/original_overview.html" />
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8 </head><body>
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9
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10 <table width="100%">
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11 <tr>
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12
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13 <td align="left">
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14 <a href="http://www.software-carpentry.com">
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15 <img src="images/logo-software-carpentry-standard.png" alt="[Software Carpentry logo]" border="0">
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16 </a>
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17 </td>
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18
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19 <td align="right">
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20 <table>
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21 <tr><td>
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22 <a href="http://www.acl.lanl.gov">
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23 <img src="images/logo-acl-medium.png" alt="[ACL Logo]" border="0">
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24 </a>
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25 </td></tr>
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26 <tr><td><hr></td></tr>
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27 <tr><td>
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28 <a href="http://www.codesourcery.com">
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29 <img src="images/logo-codesourcery-medium.png" alt="[CodeSourcery Logo]" border="0">
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30 </a>
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31 </td></tr>
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32 </table>
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33 </td>
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34
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35 </tr>
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36
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37 <tr>
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38
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39 <td colspan="2"><em>
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40 Copyright (c) 2000 Ka-Ping Yee. This material may
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41 be distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in
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42 the Software Carpentry Open Publication License, which is available at:
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43 <center>
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44 <a href="http://www.software-carpentry.com/openpub-license.html">http://www.software-carpentry.com/openpub-license.html</a>
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45 </center>
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46 </em></td>
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47
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48 </tr>
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49 </table>
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50
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51 <p><hr><p>
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52
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53
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54 <h1 align=center>Roundup</h1>
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55 <h3 align=center>An Issue-Tracking System for Knowledge Workers</h3>
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56 <h4 align=center>Ka-Ping Yee</h4>
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57 <h4 align=center><a href="http://www.lfw.org/">lfw discorporated</a><br>
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58 <a href="mailto:ping@lfw.org">ping@lfw.org</a></h4>
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59
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60 <!-- the following line will start a comment in lynx -soft_dquotes mode -->
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61 <p style="><!--">
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62
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63 <p><hr>
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64 <h2>Contents</h2>
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65
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66 <ul>
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67 <li><a href="#overview">Overview</a>
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68 <li><a href="#background">Background</a>
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69 <ul>
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70 <li><a href="#principles">Guiding Principles</a>
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71 </ul>
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72 <li><a href="#data">Data Model</a>
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73 <ul>
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74 <li><a href="#hyperdb">The Hyperdatabase</a>
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75 <li><a href="#rationale">Rationale</a>
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76 <li><a href="#roundupdb">Roundup's Hyperdatabase</a>
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77 <li><a href="#schema">The Default Schema</a>
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78 </ul>
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79 <li><a href="#ui">User Interface</a>
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80 <ul>
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81 <li><a href="#discuss">Submission and Discussion (Nosy Lists)</a>
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82 <li><a href="#edit">Editing (Templated UI)</a>
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83 <li><a href="#browse">Browsing and Searching</a>
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84 </ul>
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85 <li><a href="#devplan">Development Plan</a>
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86 <li><a href="#issues">Open Issues</a>
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87 <li><a href="#summary">Summary</a>
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88 <li><a href="#ack">Acknowledgements</a>
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89 </ul>
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90
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91 <!-- this comment will end the comment started in lynx -soft_dquotes mode -->
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92
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93 <p><hr>
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94 <h2><a name="overview">Overview</a></h2>
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95
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96 <p>We propose an issue-tracking system called
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97 <em>Roundup</em>, which will manage a number of issues
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98 (with properties such as "description", "priority", and so on)
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99 and provide the ability to
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100 (a) submit new issues,
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101 (b) find and edit existing issues,
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102 and
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103 (c) discuss issues with other participants.
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104 The system will facilitate communication
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105 among the participants by managing discussions and
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106 notifying interested parties when issues are edited.
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107
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108 <p>This design draws on experience from
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109 <a href="http://www.lfw.org/ping/roundup.html">an existing
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110 implementation</a> which we will refer to
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111 as "the Roundup prototype".
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112 The graphical interface we have in mind will resemble
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113 <a href="http://www.lfw.org/ping/roundup-1.png">
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114 the main display of the prototype</a>.
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115
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116 <p align=center>
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117 <a href="images/roundup-1.png">
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118 <img src="images/roundup.png" width=358 height=205 border=0
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119 alt="Web page with a green banner at the top titled Index of Bugs. Checkboxes to filter issue selection and a table of displayed issues, grouped by severity."></a>
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120
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121 <p><hr>
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122 <h2><a name="background">Background</a></h2>
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123
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124 <p>A typical software project requires the management of
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125 many tasks, usually distributed among several collaborators.
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126 In fact, any project team
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127 could use a tool for sorting out and discussing all the
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128 relevant issues. A common approach is to set up some kind
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129 of "to-do" list that people can share.
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130
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131 <p>However, to address the overall problem we need much more
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132 than just a shared to-do list; we need to
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133 manage a growing body of knowledge and experience to help a
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134 team collaborate effectively on a project. The issue-tracking
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135 tool becomes a nexus for communication: the Grand Central
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136 Station of the group intelligence.
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137
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138 <p>The primary focus of this design is to help
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139 developers work together well, not to provide a customer
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140 service interface to the developers. This is not to say that
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141 the design is to be made unsuitable for customers to use.
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142 Rather, it is assumed that many of the same qualities
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143 that are good for supporting development (see below)
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144 are also good for non-developers using the system.
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145 Additional niceties
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146 for providing a safe or simplified interface to clients are
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147 intentionally deferred for later consideration.
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148
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149 <p>A good issue-tracking system should have at least the
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150 following properties:
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151
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152 <p><table align=right width="40%" bgcolor="#808080"
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153 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0><tr><td
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154 ><table bgcolor="#e8e8e8" width="100%"
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155 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5 border=0><tr><td
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156 ><p><font color="#808080"><small>
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157 With a nod to the time-honoured computer science tradition
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158 of "filling in the fourth quadrant", we note that
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159 there are really four kinds of information flow
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160 going on here. The three mentioned qualities
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161 really address the first three quadrants of this 2-by-2 matrix,
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162 respectively:
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163
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164 <ol>
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165 <li>User push: a user submits information to the system.
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166 <li>User pull: a user queries for information from the system.
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167 <li>System push: the system sends information out to users.
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168 <li>System pull: the system solicits information from users.
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169 </ol>
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170
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171 An example of the fourth kind of flow is voting.
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172 Voting isn't described in this design,
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173 but it should be noted as a potential enhancement.
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174 </small></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>
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175
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176 <ol>
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177 <li><strong>Low barrier to participation.</strong>
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178 The usefulness of the tool depends entirely on the
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179 information people contribute to it. It must be made
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180 as easy as possible to submit new issues and contribute
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181 information about existing issues.<p>
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182
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183 <li><strong>Straightforward navigation.</strong>
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184 It should be easy for users to extract information they need
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185 from the system to direct their decisions and tasks.
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186 They should be able to get a decent overview of
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187 things as well as finding specific information when
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188 they know what they're after.<p>
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189
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190 <li><strong>Controlled information flow.</strong>
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191 The users must have control over how much information and
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192 what information they get. A common flaw of some issue-tracking
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193 systems is that they inundate users with so much useless
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194 e-mail that people avoid the system altogether.
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195 </ol>
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196 <br clear=all>
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197
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198 <p><br>
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199 <h3><a name="principles">Guiding Principles</a></h3>
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200
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201 <p><strong>Simplicity.</strong> It is a strong requirement
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202 that the tool be accessible and understandable. It should
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203 be fairly obvious what different parts of the interface do,
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204 and the inner mechanisms should operate in ways that most
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205 users can easily predict.
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206
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207 <p><strong>Efficiency.</strong>
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208 We aim to optimize for minimum effort to do the most common
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209 operations, and best use of resources like screen real estate
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210 to maximize the amount of information that we summarize and present.
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211
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212 <p><strong>Generality.</strong> We try to avoid making
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213 unnecessary assumptions that would restrict the applicability
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214 of the tool. For example, there is no reason why one might
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215 not also want to use this tool to manage a design process,
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216 non-software projects, or organizational decisions.
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217
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218 <p><strong>Persistence.</strong> We
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219 prefer hiding or reclassifying information to deleting it.
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220 This helps support the collection of statistics later.
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221 If records are never destroyed, there is little danger
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222 in providing access to a larger community, and logging yields
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223 accountability, which may encourage better behaviour.
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224
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225 <p><hr>
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226 <p><table align=right width="40%" bgcolor="#808080"
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227 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0><tr><td
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228 ><table bgcolor="#e8e8e8" width="100%"
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229 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5 border=0><tr><td
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230 ><font color="#808080"><small>
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231 Okay, enough ranting. Let's get down to business.
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232 </small></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>
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233 <h2><a name="data">Data Model</a></h2>
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234
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235 <p>Roundup stores a number of <em>items</em>, each of
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236 which can have several properties and an associated discussion.
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237 The properties can be used to classify or search for items.
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238 The discussion is a sequence of e-mail messages.
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239 Each item is identified by a unique number, and has
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240 an activity log which
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241 records the time and content of edits made on its properties.
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242 The log stays fairly small since the design intentionally
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243 provides only small data types as item properties, and
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244 encourages anything large to be attached to
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245 e-mail where it becomes part of the discussion.
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246 The next section explains how items are organized.
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247
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248 <h3><a name="hyperdb">The Hyperdatabase</a></h3>
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249
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250 <p><table align=right width="40%" bgcolor="#808080"
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251 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0><tr><td
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252 ><table bgcolor="#e8e8e8" width="100%"
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253 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5 border=0><tr><td
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254 ><font color="#808080"><small>
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255 In my opinion, forcing
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256 items into fixed categories is one of the most
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257 serious problems with the Roundup prototype.
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258 The hyperdatabase is an <em>experimental</em> attempt to
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259 address the problem of information organization,
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260 whose scope goes beyond just Roundup.
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261 </small></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>
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262
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263 Often when classifying information we are
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264 asked to select exactly one of a number of categories
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265 or to fit it into a rigid hierarchy. Yet things
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266 only sometimes fall into one category; often,
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267 a piece of information may be related to several concepts.
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268
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269 For example, forcing each item into a single topic
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270 category is not just suboptimal but counterproductive:
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271 seekers of that
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272 item may expect to find it in a different category
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273 and conclude that the item is not present in the
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274 database -- which has them <em>worse</em> off
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275 than if the items were not categorized at all.
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276
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277 <p>Some systems try to alleviate this problem by
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278 allowing nodes to appear at multiple locations
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279 in a tree, as with "aliases" or "symbolic links" in
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280 a filesystem, for example. This does help somewhat,
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281 but we want to be even more flexible
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282 by allowing the
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283 organization of nodes into sets that may freely
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284 intersect. Rather than putting each node at exactly
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285 one place in an overall "grand scheme", a node can
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286 belong to as many sets as are appropriate.
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287
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288 If we choose to represent the sets themselves as nodes
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289 and set membership as a link between nodes,
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290 we're now ready to present the definition of a
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291 hyperdatabase.
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292
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293 <p><table align=right width="40%" bgcolor="#808080"
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294 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr><td
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295 ><table bgcolor="#e8e8e8" width="100%"
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296 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5 border=0><tr><td
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297 ><font color="#808080"><small>
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298 Perhaps it's too pretentious a name?
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299 You could say this is just like an object database.
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300 The hyperdatabase is hardly much of an invention; the
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301 intent is merely to emphasize querying on links
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302 rather than properties.
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303 (I haven't heard of this being done with
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304 object databases before, but plead ignorance if
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305 there's already a good name for this idea.)
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306 </small></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>
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307 A <em>hyperdatabase</em> is a collection of <em>nodes</em>
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308 that may be hyperlinked to
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309 each other (hence the name "hyperdatabase").
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310 Each node carries a collection of key-value pairs,
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311 where some of the values may be links to other nodes.
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312 Any node may have an arbitrary number of outgoing and
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313 incoming links. Hyperdatabases are able to efficiently
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314 answer queries such as "what nodes link to this node?"
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315 and "what nodes does this node link to?"
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316
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317 <h3><a name="rationale">Rationale</a></h3>
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318
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319 <p>There are several reasons for building our
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320 own kind of database for Roundup rather than using an existing one.
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321
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322 Requiring the installation of a full-blown third-party
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323 SQL database system would probably deter many potential
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324 users from attempting to set up Roundup;
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325 yet a real relational database would be too
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326 complicated to implement on our own.
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327
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328 On the other hand, a hyperdatabase can be implemented fairly easily
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329 using one of the Python DBM modules, so we can
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330 take the "batteries-included" approach and provide it
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331 as part of the system. It's easier to build and understand
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332 than a true relational database (in accordance with our guiding
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333 principle of <em>simplicity</em>), but provides
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334 most of the query functionality we want.
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335
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336 <p>A hyperdatabase is well suited for finding the intersection
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337 of a number of sets in which items belong. We expect that
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338 most of the queries people want to do will be of this
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339 form, rather than complicated SQL queries. For example, a
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340 typical request might be
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341 "show me all critical items related to security".
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342 The ability to store arbitrary key-value pairs and links
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343 on nodes gives it more flexibility than an RDBMS.
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344
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345 Users are not going to be making thousands of queries
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346 per second, so it makes sense to optimize for simplicity
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347 and flexibility rather than performance.
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348
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349 <p align=center><img src="images/hyperdb.png" width=433 height=352 alt=""></a>
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350
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351
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352 <h3><a name="roundupdb">Roundup's Hyperdatabase</a></h3>
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353
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354 <p>For our application, we store each item as a node in a
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355 hyperdatabase. The item's properties are stored
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356 as key-value pairs on its node.
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357 Four types of properties are allowed:
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358 <em>string</em>, <em>date</em>,
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359 <em>choice</em>, and <em>reference</em>.
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360
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361 <p>The <em>string</em> type is for short, free-form strings.
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362 String properties are not intended to contain large
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363 amounts of text, and it is recommended that they be presented
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364 as one-line fields to encourage brevity.
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365
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366 <p>The <em>date</em> type is for calendar dates and times.
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367
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368 <p>The <em>choice</em> type denotes a single selection
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369 from a number of options. A <em>choice</em> property
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370 entails a link from the node possessing the property to
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371 the node representing the chosen option.
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372
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373 <p>The <em>reference</em> type is for a list of links to any
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374 number of other nodes in the in the database. A <em>reference</em>
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375 property, for example, can be used to refer to related items
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376 or topic categories relevant to an item.
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377
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378 <p>For Roundup, all items have five properties
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379 that are not customizable:
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380
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381 <ul>
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382 <li>a <em>string</em> property named <strong>description</strong>
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383 <li>a <em>reference</em> property named <strong>superseder</strong>
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384 <li>a <em>reference</em> property named <strong>nosy</strong>
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385 <li>a <em>date</em> property named <strong>creation</strong>
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386 <li>a <em>date</em> property named <strong>activity</strong>
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387 </ul>
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388
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389 <p>The <strong>description</strong> property is a short
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390 one-line description of the item.
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391 The detailed description can go in the
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392 first e-mail message of the item's discussion spool.
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393
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394 <p>The <strong>superseder</strong> property is used to
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395 support the splitting, joining, or replacing of items.
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396 When several items need to be
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397 joined into a single item, all the old items
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398 link to the new item in their <strong>superseder</strong>
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399 property.
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400 When an item needs to be split apart, the item
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401 references all the new items in its <strong>superseder</strong>
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402 propety.
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403 We can easily list all active items just by checking
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404 for an empty <strong>superseder</strong> property, and trace
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405 the path of an item's origins by querying the hyperdatabase
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406 for links.
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407
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408 <p>The <strong>nosy</strong> property contains a list of
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409 the people who are interested in an item. This
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410 mechanism is explained in
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411 <a href="#discuss">the section on Nosy Lists</a>.
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412
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413 <p>The <strong>creation</strong> property records the
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414 item's creation time. The <strong>activity</strong>
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415 property records the last time that the item was edited or
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416 a mail message was added to its discussion spool. These two
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417 properties are managed by Roundup and are not available to
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418 be edited like other properties.
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419
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420 <p>Users of the system are also represented by nodes in the
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421 hyperdatabase, containing properties
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422 like the user's e-mail address, login name, and password.
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423
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424 <h3><a name="schema">The Default Schema</a></h3>
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425
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426 <p><table align=right width="40%" bgcolor="#808080"
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427 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr><td
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428 ><table bgcolor="#e8e8e8" width="100%"
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429 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5 border=0><tr><td
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430 ><font color="#808080"><small>
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431 Roundup could be distributed with a few
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432 suggested schemas for different purposes.
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433 One possible enhancement to the
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434 software-development schema is
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435 a <em>reference</em> property
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436 named <strong>implements</strong> for connecting
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437 development items to design requirements which
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438 they satisfy, which should
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439 be enough to provide basic support for
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440 <a href="http://software-carpentry.codesourcery.com/lists/sc-discuss/msg00046.html">traceability</a>.
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441 Clearly there is also potential for adding
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442 properties for related source files, check-ins,
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443 test results, regression tests for resolved items,
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444 and so on, though these have not yet been
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445 sufficiently well thought out to specify here.
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446 </small></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>
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447 <p>It is hoped that the hyperdatabase together with the
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448 specializations mentioned above for Roundup will be
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449 applicable in a variety of situations
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450 (in accordance with our guiding principle of <em>generality</em>).
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451
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452 <p>To address the problem at hand, we need
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453 a specific schema for items applied particularly to software development.
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454 Again, we are trying to keep the schema simple: too many
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455 options make it tougher for someone to make a good choice.
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456 The schema is written here in the same form that it would
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457 appear in a configuration file.
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458 <br clear=all>
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459
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460 <pre>
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461 fixer = Reference() # people who will fix the problem
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462
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463 topic = Reference() # relevant topic keywords
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464
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465 priority = Choice("critical", # panic: work is stopped!
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466 "urgent", # important, but not deadly
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467 "bug", # lost work or incorrect results
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468 "feature", # want missing functionality
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469 "wish") # avoidable bugs, missing conveniences
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470
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471 status = Choice("unread", # submitted but no action yet
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472 "deferred", # intentionally set aside
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473 "chatting", # under review or seeking clarification
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474 "need-eg", # need a reproducible example of a bug
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475 "in-progress", # understood; development in progress
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476 "testing", # we think it's done; others, please test
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477 "done-cbb", # okay for now, but could be better
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478 "resolved") # fix has been released
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479 </pre>
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480
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481 <p>The <strong>fixer</strong> property assigns
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482 responsibility for an item to a person or a list of people.
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483 The <strong>topic</strong> property places the
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484 item in an arbitrary number of relevant topic sets (see
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485 <a href="#browse">the section on Browsing and Searching</a>).
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486
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diff changeset
487 <p>As previously mentioned, each item gets an activity log.
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488 Whenever a property on an item is changed, the log
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489 records the time of the change, the user making the change,
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490 and the old and new values of the property. This permits
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491 the later gathering of statistics (for example, the average time
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492 from submission to resolution).
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diff changeset
493
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diff changeset
494 <p>We do not specify or enforce a state transition graph,
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495 since making the system rigid in that fashion is probably more
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496 trouble than it's worth.
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497 Experience has shown that there are probably
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498 two convenient automatic state transitions:
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499
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500 <ul>
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501 <li>from <strong>unread</strong> to <strong>chatting</strong>
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502 when e-mail is written about an item
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503 <li>from <strong>testing</strong> to <strong>resolved</strong>
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504 when a new release of the software is made
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505 </ul>
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506
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diff changeset
507 Beyond these, in accordance with our principle of <em>generality</em>,
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508 we allow access to the hyperdatabase
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diff changeset
509 API so that scripts can automate transitions themselves or
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diff changeset
510 be triggered by changes in the database.
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511
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diff changeset
512 <p><hr>
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513 <h2><a name="ui">User Interface</a></h2>
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514
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diff changeset
515 <p>Roundup provides its services through two main interfaces:
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diff changeset
516 e-mail and the Web.
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517 This division is chosen to optimize the most common tasks.
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diff changeset
518
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diff changeset
519 <p>E-mail is best suited for
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
520 the submission of new items since most people are most comfortable
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
521 with composing long messages in their own favourite e-mail client.
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522 E-mail also permits them to mention URLs or attach files relevant
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
523 to their submission. Indeed, in many cases people are already
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diff changeset
524 used to making requests by sending e-mail to a mailing list
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diff changeset
525 of people; they can do exactly the same thing to use Roundup
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526 without even thinking about it.
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diff changeset
527 Similarly, people are already
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528 familiar with holding discussions in e-mail, and plenty of
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
529 valuable usage conventions and software tools already exist for that medium.
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diff changeset
530
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diff changeset
531 <p>The Web, on the other hand, is best suited for summarizing
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diff changeset
532 and seeking information, because it can present an interactive
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parents:
diff changeset
533 overview of items. Since the Web has forms, it's also
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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534 the best place to edit items.
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535
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parents:
diff changeset
536 <h3><a name="discuss">Submission and Discussion</a></h3>
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537
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parents:
diff changeset
538 <p><table align=right width="40%" bgcolor="#808080" cellpadding=0 border=0
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diff changeset
539 ><tr><td><table bgcolor="#e8e8e8" width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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diff changeset
540 border=0><tr><td><font color="#808080"><small>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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541 Nosy lists have actually been tried in practice,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
542 and their emergent properties have
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
543 turned out to be very effective.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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544 They are one of the key strengths of the Roundup prototype,
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
545 and often cause me to wonder if all mailing lists ought to work this way.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
546 Roundup could even replace Hypermail.
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diff changeset
547 </small></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>
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548
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
549 <p>The system needs an address for receiving mail
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
550 and an address that forwards mail to all participants.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
551 Each item has its own list
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
552 of interested parties, known as its <em>nosy list</em>.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
553 Here's how nosy lists work:
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
554
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parents:
diff changeset
555 <p><ol type="a">
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parents:
diff changeset
556 <li>New items are always submitted by sending an e-mail message
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
557 to Roundup. The "Subject:" field becomes the description
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parents:
diff changeset
558 of the new item.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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diff changeset
559 The message is saved in the mail spool of the new item,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
560 and copied to the list of all participants
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parents:
diff changeset
561 so everyone knows that a new item has been added.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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diff changeset
562 The new item's nosy list initially contains the submitter.
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563
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parents:
diff changeset
564 <li>All e-mail messages sent by Roundup have their "Reply-To:"
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
565 field set to Roundup's address, and have the item's
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
566 number in the "Subject:" field. Thus, any replies to the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
567 initial announcement and subsequent threads are all received
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
568 by Roundup. Roundup notes the item number in the "Subject:"
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
569 field of each incoming message and appends the message
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
570 to the appropriate spool.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
571
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
572 <li>Any incoming e-mail tagged with an item number is copied
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
573 to all the people on the item's nosy list,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
574 and any users found in the "From:", "To:", or "Cc:" fields
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
575 are automatically added to the nosy list. Whenever a user
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
576 edits an item's properties in the Web interface, they are
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
577 also added to the nosy list.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
578 </ol>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
579
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
580 <p>The effect
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
581 is like each item having its own little mailing list,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
582 except that no one ever has to worry about subscribing to
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
583 anything. Indicating interest in an issue is sufficient, and if you
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
584 want to bring someone new into the conversation, all you need to do
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
585 is Cc: a message to them. It turns out that no one ever has to worry
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
586 about unsubscribing, either: the nosy lists are so specific in scope
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
587 that the conversation tends to die down by itself when the issue is
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
588 resolved or people no longer find it sufficiently important.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
589
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
590 <p>Each nosy list is like an asynchronous chat room,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
591 lasting only a short time (typically five or ten messages)
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
592 and involving a small group of people.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
593 However, that
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
594 group is the <em>right</em> group of people:
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
595 only those who express interest in an item in some way
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
596 ever end up on
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
597 the list, so no one gets spammed with mail they
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
598 don't care about, and no one who <em>wants</em>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
599 to see mail about a particular item needs to be left
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
600 out, for they can easily join in, and just as easily
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
601 look at the mail spool on an item to catch up on any
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
602 messages they might have missed.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
603
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
604 <p>We can take this a step further and
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
605 permit users to monitor particular topics or
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
606 classifications of items
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
607 by allowing other kinds of nodes to
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
608 also have their own nosy lists.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
609 For example, a manager could be on the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
610 nosy list of the priority value node for "critical", or a
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
611 developer could be on the nosy list of the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
612 topic value node for "security".
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
613 The recipients are then
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
614 determined by the union of the nosy lists on the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
615 item and all the nodes it links to.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
616
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
617 <p>Using many small, specific mailing lists results
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
618 in much more effective communication than one big list.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
619 Taking away the effort of subscribing and unsubscribing
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
620 gives these lists the "feel" of being cheap and
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
621 disposable.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
622
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
623 The transparent capture of the mail spool attached to each
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
624 issue also yields a nice knowledge repository over time.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
625
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
626
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
627 <h3><a name="edit">Editing</a></h3>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
628
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
629 <p>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
630 <img src="images/edit.png" align=right width=171 height=471 alt="">
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
631 Since Roundup is intended to support arbitrary user-defined
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
632 schema for item properties, the editing interface must be
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
633 automatically generated from the schema. The configuration for
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
634 Roundup will include a template describing how to lay out the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
635 properties to present a UI for inspecting and editing items.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
636 For example:
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
637
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
638 <pre>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
639 &lt;table width="100%"&gt;
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
640 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td align=right&gt;Description:&lt;/td&gt;
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
641 &lt;td&gt;&lt;?property description size=70&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
642 &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td align=right&gt;Status:&lt;/td&gt;
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
643 &lt;td&gt;&lt;?property status&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
644 &lt;/table&gt;
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
645 </pre>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
646
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
647 <p>To display the editing form for an item, Roundup substitutes
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
648 an HTML form widget for each <tt>&lt;?property </tt>...<tt>&gt;</tt>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
649 tag, and transfers attributes
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
650 (such as <tt>size=70</tt> in the above example)
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
651 from the processing tag to the form widget's tag.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
652 Each type has its own appropriate editing widget:
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
653 <ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
654 <li><em>string</em> properties appear as text fields
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
655 <li><em>date</em> properties appear as text fields
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
656 <li><em>choice</em> properties appear as selection lists
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
657 <li><em>reference</em> properties appear as multiple-selection lists
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
658 with a text field for adding a new option
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
659 </ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
660
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
661 <p>We foresee the use of custom date fields for things like deadlines,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
662 so input fields for <em>date</em> properties should support some
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
663 simple way of specifying relative dates (such as "three weeks from now").
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
664
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
665 <p>The <strong>superseder</strong> property is a special case:
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
666 although it is more efficient to store a <strong>superseder</strong>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
667 property in the superseded item, it makes more sense to provide
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
668 a "supersedes" edit field on the superseding item. So we need
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
669 a special widget on items for this purpose (perhaps something
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
670 as simple as a text field containing a comma-separated list of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
671 item numbers will do). Links in the <strong>superseder</strong> property
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
672 should appear on both the superseding and superseded items to
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
673 facilitate navigating an item's pedigree.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
674
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
675 <p>After the editing widgets, the item inspection page shows
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
676 a "note" text box and then a display of the messages in the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
677 discussion spool, like the Roundup prototype. This field
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
678 lets you enter a note explaining your change when you edit the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
679 item, and the note is included in the notification message that
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
680 goes out to tell the interested parties on the nosy list of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
681 your edits.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
682
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
683 <h3><a name="browse">Browsing and Searching</a></h3>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
684
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
685 <p>The ideal we would like to achieve is to make searching as
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
686 much like browsing as possible: the user simply clicks about
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
687 on things that seem interesting, and the information narrows
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
688 down comfortably until the goal is in sight. This is preferable
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
689 to trying to digest a screen filled with widgets and buttons
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
690 or entering a search expression in some arcane algebraic syntax.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
691
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
692 <p><table align=right width="40%" bgcolor="#808080" cellpadding=0 border=0
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
693 ><tr><td><table bgcolor="#e8e8e8" width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
694 border=0><tr><td><font color="#808080"><small>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
695 Though the generation of each page amounts to a database query,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
696 so that the underlying mechanism is still a series of queries and
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
697 responses, the user interface never separates the query from
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
698 the response, so the <em>experience</em> is one of stepwise
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
699 refinement.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
700 </small></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
701 While a one-shot search may be appropriate when you're
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
702 looking for a single item and you know exactly what you want, it's
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
703 not very helpful when you want an overview of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
704 things ("Gee, there are a lot more high-priority items than
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
705 there were last week!") or trying to do comparisons ("I have
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
706 some time today, so who is busiest and could most use some help?")
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
707 <br clear=all>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
708
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
709 <p>The browsing interface presents filtering
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
710 functionality for each of the properties in the schema. As with
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
711 editing, the interface is generated from a template
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
712 describing how to lay out the properties.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
713 Each type of property has its own appropriate filtering widget:
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
714 <ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
715 <li><em>string</em> properties appear as text fields supporting
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
716 case-insensitive substring match
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
717 <li><em>date</em> properties appear as a text field with an
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
718 option to choose dates after or before the specified date
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
719 <li><em>choice</em> properties appear as a group of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
720 selectable options
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
721 (the filter selects the <em>union</em> of the sets of items
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
722 associated with the active options)
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
723 <li><em>reference</em> properties appear as a group of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
724 selectable options
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
725 (the filter selects the <em>intersection</em> of the sets of items
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
726 associated with the active options)
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
727 </ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
728
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
729 <p>For a <em>reference</em> property like <strong>topic</strong>,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
730 one possibility is to show, as hyperlinks, the keywords whose
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
731 sets have non-empty intersections with the currently displayed set of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
732 items. Sorting the keywords by popularity seems
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
733 reasonable. Clicking on a keyword then narrows both the list of items
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
734 and the list of keywords. This gives some of the feel of walking
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
735 around a directory tree -- but without the restriction of having
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
736 to select keywords in a particular hierarchical order, and without
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
737 the need to travel all the way to the leaves of the tree before
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
738 any items are visible.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
739
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
740 <p>Below the filtering form is a listing of items, with their
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
741 properties displayed in a table. Rows in the table can also be
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
742 generated from a template, as with the editing interface.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
743 This listing is the central overview of the system, and it
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
744 should aim to maximize the density of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
745 useful information in accordance with our guiding principle of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
746 <em>efficiency</em>.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
747 For example,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
748 <a href="http://www.lfw.org/ping/bugzilla-4.gif">Bugzilla
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
749 initially displays seven or eight items of the index</a>, but only
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
750 after the user has
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
751 <a href="http://www.lfw.org/ping/bugzilla-1.gif">waded</a>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
752 through
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
753 <a href="http://www.lfw.org/ping/bugzilla-2.gif">three</a>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
754 bewildering
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
755 <a href="http://www.lfw.org/ping/bugzilla-3.gif">screens</a> of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
756 form widgets.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
757 <a href="http://www.lfw.org/ping/jitterbug-1.gif">Jitterbug can't
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
758 even fit any items at all in the first screenful</a>, as it's
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
759 taken up by artwork and adminstrative debris. In contrast,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
760 <a href="http://www.lfw.org/ping/roundup-1.gif">in the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
761 Roundup prototype,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
762 25 high-priority issues are immediately visible</a>, with
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
763 most of the screen space devoted to their descriptions.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
764 Colour indicates
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
765 the status of each item to help the eye sift through the index quickly.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
766
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
767 <p>In both Jitterbug and Bugzilla, items are sorted by default by ID,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
768 a meaningless field. Sorting by ID puts the issues in order by
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
769 ascending submission date, which banishes recent issues far away
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
770 at the bottom of the list.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
771 The Roundup prototype sorts items
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
772 in sections by priority, and then within sections by the date
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
773 of last activity. This reveals at a glance where discussion is
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
774 most active, and provides an easy way for anyone to move an issue
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
775 up in the list.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
776
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
777 <p>The page produced by a given set of browsing options constitutes
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
778 a <em>view</em>. The options should all be part of the query
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
779 parameters in the URL so that views may be bookmarked. A view
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
780 specifies:
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
781
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
782 <ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
783 <li>search strings for string properties
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
784 <li>date ranges for date properties
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
785 <li>acceptable values for choice properties
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
786 <li>required values for reference properties
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
787 <li>one or more sort keys
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
788 <li>a list of properties for which to display filtering widgets
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
789 </ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
790
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
791 <p>On each sort key there is the option to use sections -- that is,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
792 instead of making the property's value a column of the table, each
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
793 possible value for the property
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
794 is displayed at the top of a section and all the items having
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
795 that value for that property are grouped underneath. This avoids
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
796 wasting screen space with redundant information.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
797
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
798 <p>We propose that our default view should be:
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
799
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
800 <ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
801 <li>all options on for <strong>priority</strong> and <strong>fixer</strong>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
802 <li>all options on except "resolved" for <strong>status</strong>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
803 <li>no options on for <strong>topic</strong>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
804 <li>primary sort by <strong>priority</strong> in sections
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
805 <li>secondary sort by decreasing <strong>activity</strong> date
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
806 </ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
807
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
808 <p>The starting URL for Roundup should immediately present the listing of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
809 items generated by this default view, with no
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
810 preceding query screen.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
811
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
812 <p><hr>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
813 <h2><a name="devplan">Development Plan</a></h2>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
814
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
815 <p>The hyperdatabase is clearly a separable component which
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
816 can be developed and tested independently to an API specification.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
817
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
818 <p>As soon as the API to the hyperdatabase is nailed down,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
819 the implementation of the Roundup database layer
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
820 on top of the hyperdatabase can begin.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
821 (This refers to the data types and five fixed properties
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
822 specific to Roundup.) This layer can also be tested separately.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
823
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
824 <p>When the interface to the Roundup hyperdatabase is ready,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
825 development can begin on the user interface. The mail handler
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
826 and the Web interface can be developed in parallel and mostly
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
827 independently of each other.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
828
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
829 <p>The mail handler can be set up for testing fairly easily:
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
830 mail messages on its standard input can be synthesized;
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
831 its output is outgoing mail, which can be
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
832 captured by replacing the implementation of the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
833 "send mail" function; and its side effects appear in the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
834 hyperdatabase, which has a Python API.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
835
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
836 <p>The Web interface is not easily testable in its entirety,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
837 though the most important components of it can be unit tested,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
838 such as the component that translates a view specification
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
839 into a list of items for display, and
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
840 the component that performs replacements on templates
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
841 to produce an editing or filtering interface.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
842
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
843 <p><hr>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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844 <h2><a name="issues">Open Issues</a></h2>
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diff changeset
845
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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846 <p>The description of the hyperdatabase above avoids some
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
847 issues regarding node typing that need to be better specified.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
848 It is conceivable that eventually Roundup
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
849 could support multiple kinds of items with their own schemas.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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850
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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851 <p>To permit integration with external tools, it is probably
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
852 a good idea to provide a command-line tool that exposes the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
853 hyperdatabase API. This tool will be left for a later phase
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
854 of development and so isn't specified in detail here.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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diff changeset
855
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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856 <p>Generating the user interface from a template is like
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
857 applying an XSL stylesheet to XML, and if there's a standard
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
858 Python module for performing these transformations, we could
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
859 use XML instead.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
860
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
861 <p>More thinking is needed to determine the best filtering
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
862 interface for <em>reference</em> properties.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
863 The proposed interface works well for topic keywords, but
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
864 it isn't clear what to do when there are too many keywords
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
865 to display them all.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
866
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
867 <p>There has been a variety of reactions to the hyperdatabase
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
868 from reviewers: some like it, some are neutral, and some
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
869 would prefer a "standard" RDBMS solution.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
870 For those in the latter camp, note
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
871 that it's still possible to build the Roundup database layer
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
872 around an RDBMS if we really need to. The rest of the design, in
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
873 particular the "nosy list" mechanism, remains intact.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
874
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
875 <p>The possibility of malice by registered users has been disregarded.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
876 The system is intended to be used by a co-operative group.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
877
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
878 <p>This design tries to address as many as possible of the
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
879 suggested requirements mentioned on
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
880 <a href="http://software-carpentry.codesourcery.com/sc_track">the contest page</a>:
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
881
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
882 <ul>
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
883 <li>configuring states: Edit the schema.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
884 <li>setting state transition rules: We don't enforce any rules.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
885 <li>assigning responsibility: Set the <strong>fixer</strong> property.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
886 <li>splitting and joining: Use the <strong>superseder</strong> property.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
887 <li>hiding information: Add
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
888 a property and a pre-defined view that filters on it.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
889 <li>secure protocols: Naturally HTTPS would be nice, though it's largely
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
890 a webserver configuration issue; secure e-mail is not addressed.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
891 <li>archiving old issues: Tag them with a property.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
892 <li>identifying repeated issues: Use the <strong>superseder</strong> property.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
893 <li>connecting state changes to external operations: We provide an
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
894 API to the database and the notification mechanism so it can be scripted.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
895 <li>non-Latin alphabets: Unicode in Python 1.6 will handle
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
896 this for string properties, and we can leverage existing standards for
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
897 internationalizing e-mail messages.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
898 <li>images and other binaries: Attach them to e-mail messages.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
899 <li>inspecting item state: Use the editing interface.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
900 <li>translation between system-dependent formats: This is not addressed.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
901 <li>performing searches: Use the browsing and filtering interface.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
902 <li>collecting statistics: Information is gathered in the activity log,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
903 though tools to summarize it are not described here.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
904 </ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
905
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
906 <p><hr>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
907 <h2><a name="summary">Summary</a></h2>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
908
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
909 <p>Roundup is an issue-tracking system that also functions as
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
910 a communications center and a knowledge repository. It combines
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
911 the strengths of e-mail and the Web to try to provide the best
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
912 possible user interaction.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
913
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
914 <ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
915 <li>The submission and discussion of items by e-mail, permitting
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
916 participants to use an easy and familiar tool, achieves our goal
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
917 of <em>low barrier to participation</em>.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
918 <li>The generic link-based structuring of data and use of
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
919 incremental filtering rather than one-shot querying makes for
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
920 <em>straightforward navigation</em>.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
921 <li>The use of <em>nosy lists</em> (a powerful replacement for
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
922 e-mail discussion lists) to manage communication on
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
923 a fine-grained level provides <em>controlled information flow</em>.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
924 </ul>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
925
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
926 <p>The use of a "hyperdatabase" as the core model for
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
927 the knowledge repository gives us the flexibility to extend
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
928 Roundup and apply it to a variety of domains by
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
929 providing new item schemas and user-interface templates.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
930
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
931 <p>Roundup is self-contained and easy to set up, requiring
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
932 only a webserver and a mailbox. No one needs to be root to
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
933 configure the webserver or to install database software.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
934
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
935 <p>This design is based on an existing deployed
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
936 prototype which has proven its strengths and revealed its
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
937 weaknesses in heavy day-to-day use by a real development team.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
938
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
939 <p><hr>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
940 <h2><a name="ack">Acknowledgements</a></h2>
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
941
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
942 <p>My thanks are due to
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
943 Christina Heyl, Jesse Vincent, Mark Miller, Christopher Simons,
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
944 Jeff Dunmall, Wayne Gramlich, and Dean Tribble
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
945 for reviewing this paper and contributing their suggestions.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
946
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
947 <p><hr><p>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
948
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
949 <center>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
950 <table>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
951 <tr>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
952 <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.software-carpentry.com/index.html"><b>[Home]</b></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
953 <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.software-carpentry.com/faq.html"><b>[FAQ]</b></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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diff changeset
954 <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.software-carpentry.com/license.html"><b>[License]</b></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
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955 <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.software-carpentry.com/contest-rules.html"><b>[Rules]</b></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
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diff changeset
956 <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.software-carpentry.com/biblio.html"><b>[Resources]</b></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
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diff changeset
957 <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.software-carpentry.com/lists/"><b>[Archives]</b></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
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958 </tr>
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959 </table>
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960 </center>
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
961
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
962 <p><hr>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
963 <center>
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
964 Last modified 2001/04/06 11:50:59.9063 US/Mountain
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
965 </center>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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966 </body></html>
Roundup Issue Tracker: http://roundup-tracker.org/