[Oberon] Re (2): Web-based books and other documents

[peter at easthope.ca]

Further thoughts ...

From:	Andreas Pirklbauer <andreas_pirklbauer at yahoo.com>
Date:	Sun, 2 Jul 2017 13:46:26 +0000
> I agree that some of these examples are impressive and also seem to be visu=
> ally more appealing than a Wiki book. But I'm not familiar with any of thos=
> e publication tools in great detail, so I can't really assess the relative =
> merits.

The projects cited by Wojciech represent the dedicated and extensive work 
of individuals or small groups of authorities.  For some or most of these 
people the work is a significant part of their career.

A wikibook is similar but with important differences.  Editing isn't restricted 
to "project owners".  Editors cover the spectrum from highly qualified, such 
as Andreas, to those really only qualified to do formatting and typographical 
corrections, such as me.  You'd think this might lead to chaos but it works 
fairly well in the long term.  In case someone causes too much trouble, 
there are provisions for blocking editorial access.  The wikibook isn't ideal 
but allows a document to develop without too much burden on any 
individual.

At least some aesthetic nicities are possible in the wikibook.  Just requires 
someone with the ability and time to create them.  

Another difference is lifespan.  The Web sites cited by Wojciech are likely  
to vanish when the owner retires or dies or the developer group dissolves. 
I'll speculate that the Wikipedia and the better Wikibooks will survive beyond 
the life of Jimmy Wales.  Meanwhile the WikiMedia projects benefit many 
readers.

> I'll probably just create a pdf version, together with the source, and leav=
> e it to others to publish the text on a platform of their choosing.

The "book" can accomodate that.  For example, I can create an empty page 
with a heading such as "Class Methods Vs. Procedure variables in Records".
If you register an account in your name and paste the text there, the 
page history will always show that you contibuted the original text.  If 
you want an essay to be preserved without editing I can try submitting 
it to WkiMedia Commons.  In that case the Foundation will email you 
a request to allow publication under their standard copyright.  
Attribution will remain to your name of course. 

Regards,                ... Lyall E.

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