Re. [Oberon] DAV WebDAV.1.1.0 released

[eas-lab at absamail.co.za]

Edgar wrote:
> I just put a new WebDAV on 
> http://webdav.ethz.ch/davzip/WebDAV.1.1.0.Zip (115KB)
> For testing with write access send me a mail for a password.
> Main new feature is a user interface modeled like FATDocs. 
> Read es.DAVDocs.Text.
> Rest of documentation needs to be updated.
> For WebDAV/DeltaV see http://www.webdav.org, 
> http://www.webdav.org/deltav

I vaugely remember this is connected with:
* co-operative development - instead of people hacking privately,
* formally controlled versions of the iterative development proccess.

Both facilities which I have been (repeatedly) advocating.
So I though "I must make an effort".

Here's the log/trace of the start of my painfull journey - for
possible guidance (avoid the same mistakes) of others:

1. Search files of the appropriate partition for reference to
    "WebDAV"  ->  mentioned RFC2518

2. Based on URLs of RFCs on hand, fetch 
    http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2518.txt

3. This 203K monster refers to several other RFCs:
      RFC2119,    RFC2291 -   which I might fetch, or not.

4. Fortunately, with n-o I can 'Koki-pen-colour-mark' parts of the
    text as I perhaps read 5 pages a day of the total 92 pages.
   Those restricted to Windows or Linux must print to paper ?
   And then how do they find 'other references to "string-x" in the 
    document' ?   I can't live without n-o.

5. I see much reference to XML. I've always had negative attitude to
    over use of HTML.  XML seem to be more of the same ? Someone
   refered to XML as Xmas wrapping for garbage.  What do you think about
   these web-publications where pages are typically of 6 lines, with 4 links
   to the next layer.   No substance - all fluff.   So I'll have to read an XML
   tutor as well ?!

6. reading this:--
>    Some proposals come from a digital library perspective.  These
>    include the Dublin Core [RFC2413] metadata set and the Warwick
>    Framework [WF], a container architecture for different metadata
>    schemas.  The literature includes many examples of metadata,
>    including MARC [USMARC], a bibliographic metadata format, and a
>    technical report bibliographic format employed by the Dienst system
>    [RFC1807]. Additionally, the proceedings from the first IEEE Metadata
>    conference describe many community-specific metadata sets.
> 
>    Participants of the 1996 Metadata II Workshop in Warwick, UK [WF],
>    noted that "new metadata sets will develop as the networked ....
> ...bla...bla
reminded me of the UN: gathering of wind-bags.

Perhaps that's why the US said: "no thank you, we'll do it ourselves" ?
Perhaps that's why people just hack away in private ?
Perhaps I should have read http://www.webdav.org/ first ?

How much effort is to be invested before usage of WebDAV
starts paying dividends ?

-- Chris Glur.