Re: Processing HOWTOs

[Gary Lawrence Murphy <garym@canada.com>]

>>>>> "G" == Greg Ferguson <gferg@hoop.timonium.sgi.com> writes:

    G> I *like* the idea, but I'm worried about us modifying the
    G> display in any way, shape or form...especially using
    G> frames. Call it paranoia.

    G> How about, for a start, just a simple way to provide feedback -
    G> a page linked to from the other "main" pages we have on the
    G> LDP? It may at least help to garner some form of feedback. I
    G> realize it isn't quite the fine-grained functionality we'd like
    G> to have/need, but it is a start.

We don't have the referrer stats, but if my own use is any indication,
most access of documents in the LDP are found through external links
directly to a document (eg via Google) --- it is essential any
feedback form be placed on the page along with the HOWTO text itself.

I only mentioned frames because I didn't want to tax the webmaster.
A far preferable way to do this is with an application server and a 
template system where we can use TABLE to split the screen, and then
place down the left a form to rate the current document (and also list
related documents); this can give a presentation which also works with
text and web readers for the blind.

This is actually a feature I first found in an Eiffel class browser a
co-op student wrote for us at Cognos in 1988 --- his philosophy was
that all beta software should have a standard menu item labelled
"gripe" which would take a snapshot of the current machine state and
open a window for comments with the whole enchalada emailed to the
author.  It's a fabulous idea and in the 12 years since, I have never
seen it implemented anywhere else.

-- 
Gary Lawrence Murphy <garym@linux.ca>: office voice/fax: 01 519 4222723
TCI - Business Innovations through Open Source : http://www.teledyn.com
Canadian Co-ordinators for Bynari International : http://ca.bynari.net/
Moderator, Linux Education Group: http://www.egroups.com/group/linux-ed


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