[linux-audio-user] Around the wiki.freeaudiosoftware.org - forum

[Randy Kramer]

On Thursday 25 August 2005 11:01 am, COCHARD Yves wrote:
> You probably already thought about it, and you probably have good
> reasons not making it... I'm speaking about a forum.

I prefer wikis to forums.  You don't always see it happen in a wiki, but it is 
sometimes discussed that there are (at least) two different modes of wiki 
pages--thread mode and document mode.

Sometimes a page will be written in document mode from the beginning (see 
"more on document mode") below one of the "wiki ways").

Other times the first writer can't make a sufficient page (this by the way, 
is, imho, one of the wiki ways), so he writes what he can (perhaps only a 
question).  Subsequent contributors may answer all or part of the question 
(or amplifying the original page) with comments arranged sequentially (and 
quite often dated and signed).  

With luck, when there are enough pieces of the puzzle on the page, someone 
(else?) comes along and "refactors" (rewrites) the page trying to make the 
whole thing into one integrated "whole" (i.e., document mode).  

When I do that, depending on the situation and licensing or customs of that 
wiki, I typically take the names of all the contributors so far and move them 
to a "Contributors" section at the bottom of the page.  (This is my (usual) 
practice on WikiLearn.)

More on document mode:

I should point out that:
   * typically pages are not labeled document or thread mode, it is in the eye 
of the beholder, (and can be changed by the next comment)
   * a page being in document mode does not prohibit comments.  In document 
mode a comment to a particular paragraph may be made (much like you might do 
in quoting portions of a post to a mail list).  Such comments are often made 
in italics (or something else to set them off from the original text) and 
quite often signed and dated.  
   * see next paragraph

I haven't finished but I'm going to stop here--I probably shouldn't have  
started but instead referred you (everyone) to some of the pages on the 
original wiki that discuss much of this.  (Thinking of another post that 
suggested this was a non-public wiki because a password is required for 
editing, I would point out that the original wiki now requires a password for 
editing (or did a few weeks ago), and the password was (perhaps) a little 
harder to come by--you had to find a friend who knew the (current) password 
to pass it on to you.

Anyway, some links:

from the original wiki (BTW, Ward Cunningham created and "owns" this wiki):
   * http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WelcomeVisitors
   * http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WelcomeToWikiPleaseBePolite
   * http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiMember
   * http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiCitizen
   * http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?GoodWikiCitizen
   * http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiMaster
   * http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiZen

from twiki.org (TWiki) and WikiLearn:
   * http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/TWiki/WelcomeGuest
   * http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Wikilearn/AboutThesePages (if you don't 
want to read (or skim) the entire page, start at 
http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Wikilearn/AboutThesePages#Brief_Introduction_to_TWiki

Hmm, I probably didn't even need to include these pages, as there are 
(presumably) pages like this on wiki.freeaudiosoftware.org.  (But, if not, we 
should consider adding some (or linking to some of the above).

Sorry for the length of this post.

Randy Kramer