Re: [Comp-hist-devel] 1.0

[Hans B P. <ha...@di...>]

Scott Fenton wrote:

> > > An XML database sounds like an interesting idea. I'll look into it.
> > If we develop a decent DTD for it, then all someone would need would be an XML capable browser, if all they wanted to do was view it in a text format.
> 
> Or however the browser happens to render XML.

II really think XML is the way to go. There are lost of tools out there
for editing and displaying XML, we should be concentrating on getting
the information into a usable form not developing tools!

> > > > I would also repeat a suggestion I made some time ago - a facility for
> > > > anyone to be able to provide input simply. I see this as being an edit
> > > > link on each displayed node, a form pops up with that node's data and
> > > > the user can edit/add information. When the form is submitted, it is
> > > > saved in an edit file which is immediatley visible to subsequent users
> > > > but allows us to moderate what goes into the definitive database.
> > > >
> > >
> > > Sounds like an interesting compromise. I'll have to see.
> > I think my web form already /sort of/ provides for this, doesn't it?

Sort of, but it needs linking to a view of our data. The effort needed
to actually look at our data is way too high, download, make, eidt etc.
We MUST have a web based viewing system with an easy forma based
mechanism for the casual (though informed) user to provide input.

> > With regard to visualization, how about VRML?  That way, importance sould be shown by depth, as in the closer to you, the more important.  We'd probably also wnat to include Scott's idea of being able to collapse the tree by file, so that each file could be collapsed into one node.  For providing access to additional information, we could set things up so that clicking on a node takes you into a VRML "subworld" where we could add whatever information is appropriate.

This sounds interetsing! Where is VRML today I haven't heard much about
it recently!


  -- Hans