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Link to docker support from main web index. Docker support changes. With link from main web page going to docker support, add published docker image link and link to tags to the first paragraph to the Docker Support section. Some minor clarification of workding for docker tags. Typo fixes.
author John Rouillard <rouilj@ieee.org>
date Sun, 18 Jun 2023 18:24:37 -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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487 <p>As previously mentioned, each item gets an activity log.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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488 Whenever a property on an item is changed, the log
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diff changeset
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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diff changeset
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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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
494 <p>We do not specify or enforce a state transition graph,
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
495 since making the system rigid in that fashion is probably more
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diff changeset
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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diff changeset
500 <ul>
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501 <li>from <strong>unread</strong> to <strong>chatting</strong>
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diff changeset
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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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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508 we allow access to the hyperdatabase
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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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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diff changeset
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>
parents:
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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diff changeset
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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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
524 used to making requests by sending e-mail to a mailing list
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
525 of people; they can do exactly the same thing to use Roundup
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
526 without even thinking about it.
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diff changeset
527 Similarly, people are already
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
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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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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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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parents:
diff changeset
532 and seeking information, because it can present an interactive
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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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diff changeset
534 the best place to edit items.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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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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diff changeset
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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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
539 ><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
540 border=0><tr><td><font color="#808080"><small>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
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>
parents:
diff changeset
543 turned out to be very effective.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
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>
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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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>
parents:
diff changeset
550 and an address that forwards mail to all participants.
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
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>
parents:
diff changeset
554
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
parents:
diff changeset
558 of the new item.
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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parents:
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>
parents:
diff changeset
560 and copied to the list of all participants
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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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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John Kristensen <john@jerrykan.com>
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diff changeset
563
b26176334c88 Fix broken links to static html doc files (issue2550840)
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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/