[dev] Docs Module (was: Horde Summary Layout options, in HEAD maybe?)

[Ryan Gallagher]

Quoting Eric Rostetter <eric.rostetter@physics.utexas.edu>:

> Quoting Chuck Hagenbuch <chuck@horde.org>:
> 
> > > Yes.  The only thing CVS really buys here is 1) existing technology and
> > > 2) versioning.  Other than that, it isn't important.
> > 
> > 2) there is a rather large win :)
> 
> Yes.  And everyone I think wants versioning if possible.  So either we use
> cvs, or we "reinvent the wheel" for versioning.  I'm open to either, but 
> being lazy I of course prefer using existing technology rather than 
> re-implementing everything.
> 
> Which pretty much puts me back to my original ideas of using existing
> document XML DTDs and CVS...
> 
> But just because I'm lazy, doesn't mean someone else can reinvent the
> wheel...
> 
> At least we seem to all be in agreement that we need to do something for
> the docs, and that XML/XSL seems to be the way to go, and that it should
> be made easy to use for the non-technical folks.  That's a good start!
> 
> Now we just need someone or several someones to start coding ;)

Agreed.  My only comment on the versioning is this:

CVS is essentially designed to maintain versions of a tree of files. The files
are the end node of the branches and where the emphasis of versioning is placed.

XML or another structured document also is a tree, and just like with the files
in a CVS, the ideal situation would be the ability to track the versions of the
"elements" within this tree.  The end nodes in this case however are the
elements within this structure, not the entire file as it sits in the CVS.  

Because of the close relationship (due to the tree like nature), it would be
possible to break apart a structured document into individual files/folder
containing elements and have a CVS system maintain versions accurately, but this
would be impractical and rather nasty, who wants to work with XML that is broken
up into 1000s of files/folders?

I'm just saying it would be awsome of CVS or some other system was able to see
beyond the "file" boundary right down to the elements.  If such a system existed
(and if it does already someone please tell me), then _THIS_ would be the truely
ideal backend for a system like we are discussing.

CVS is great and would work in a pinch, i'm just expressing that structured
documents such as XML have some properties that CVS doesn't address completely.

These thoughts (unexpressed at the time) were my reason for bringing up that CVS
structured diff idea as being _sorta_ related to the topic.

But this is nothing that would hold back progress on the idea ;)
-- 
Ryan T. Gallagher
ryan@studiesabroad.com
International Studies Abroad
http://www.studiesabroad.com
(512)480-8522