Re: LYNX-DEV Re: FAQ update

[Larry W. Virden, x2487]

> One minor fiddle: The thing to make the default is the search of
> all resources, with some heuristic or learned knowledge used to
> prioritize hits.  We could have heuristics biasing the system in
> favor of hits in Help over random hits in lynx-dev (in the
> default).  The user needing help doesn't know which shell to look
> under to find the pea.

I agree the user shouldn't be expected to know where to look.  That's
why I described a system where the author of the pages leads the
user into the less and less relevant info.  I think it's a major mistake
to expect the user to get 300 hits of info from help files, FAQs, and
mailing list and then to figure out from all of this what is true and
what is not, what is current and what is not, etc.  Instead, the user
should not have to sift thru the lynx-dev or lynx-users archive trying
to winnow the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.

  Perhaps each page of links would also have a place where the user could
  indicate that a particular message or file helped them resolve their
  problem - giving the faq maintainer assistance in writing an answer.
  -- 

> [IMHO, in the blue sky version...]
> The first place it goes is into a knowledge base that affects the 
> weights used to prioritize hits on future searches.
> 
> And the manual resource-writers will want to know, too.

Yes, if we could have magically any software we could dream, having an
expert system which 'learned' from searches and feedback from the users
what answers are good ones and what ones are not would be ideal.  I will
have to ask over on the dreamwave mailing list whether anyone knows of
research in that area.


-- 
Larry W. Virden                 INET: address@hidden
<URL:http://www.teraform.com/%7Elvirden/> <*> O- "We are all Kosh."
Unless explicitly stated to the contrary, nothing in this posting should 
be construed as representing my employer's opinions.
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