Re: [Libreplanet-dev] Fwd: fsf groups extension patch

[John Sullivan]

Hi Peter,

Peter <address@hidden> writes:

> ----------  Forwarded Message  ----------
>
> Subject: fsf groups extension patch
> Date: Friday 23 January 2009 15:52
>
> (Already forwarded before confirmed registration:( Maybe this time it will 
> work)
>
> Hi John,
>
> I see the upload file has been disabled, so I have included a tarball you may
> want to add to FSF Groups. It unfortunately requires direct access to the
> wiki and some updates to system messages and LocalSettings.php files.
>

My apologies for taking so long to get to this. Because I'm not as
familiar with Mediawiki, I'm finding the number of changes proposed to
be a bit overwhelming. Can we try breaking it down into some smaller
steps forward? Or maybe what's seeming like a lot to me isn't actually a
lot and I just need to hear it explained differently.

I like the features you are suggesting very much, what I'm not entirely
clear on is which code/extension changes to the wiki match up with which
features. I also wonder how you feel about Semantic Mediawiki, because
in the local wiki I'd been working on, that's what I was using in order
to achieve some of these features with regard to group and user
templates.

In particular, can you explain what changes we need to make in order to
implement the following in your eyes:

> I would like to add a new namespace called Group or Website, which will be
> used to create the static part of a group's website (name, location,
> description, mission statement, etc.). The Main namespace can then be used
> for dynamic content (meetings, activities, tutorials, guides, etc.). Finally,
> the FSF Groups (Project) namespace can be used by groups to define their
> policies, campains, or any research. Using templates (i.e. menubars), we can
> link up the Project to Website to Main namespaces, thus providing a complete
> navigation system. Furthermore, we can provide a help structure so members
> and visitors can learn what a page is for and how to edit it.
>
> The templates themselves are structured generically, so editors can check
> their namespace and subpage to know which template to use. All they need do
> is add content and let the template do the links and formatting. We can then
> provide a 'look and feel' to the templates, either via css, or Mediawiki's
> existing mechanism.
>
> Finally, two important categories are Groups and Regions; the Groups category
> will link to all the group websites directly, while the Region category will
> navigate down to local areas listing group websites in that area. This allows
> visitors to find groups either by name, or area. We may even add the Groups
> and Regions category to the sidebar.
>
> Since the Regions are in the Category namespace, we can simply link to that
> page and avoid tedious linking issues.
>


And then are there other changes needed for this:

> I also have ideas for using threads, such as FAQ, news, etc., which have
>  their own structure distinct from all other pages. This allows editors to
>  update a page without affecting any threads. Furthermore, threads can be
>  completely removed (via multidelete) without affecting other pages. Each
>  thread is rooted in Category, so they can be accessed independently of (but
>  linked to) related pages.

And which change out of all the ones you suggested do you think is most
important right now? 

Thanks again for all your work, I apologize for not being as up to speed
on this.

-- 
John Sullivan
Manager of Operations
GPG Key: AE8600B6