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ginge
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Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 1029
Location: Manchester, UK
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 Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:52 pm Post subject: Mailing List / IRC |
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Hi all,
not website related as such (although I want to fix up the website) but I have been thinking about how to make OpenServo more accessible.
I have been thinking on and off about creating a mailing list for OpenServo, or maybe an IRC channel.
The question I put to you is this:- Is ust having the forum working out for you all, and would you even use a mailing list or IRC channel?
Barry
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bren
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Posts: 79
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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Personal I wouldn't use a mailing list. A forum is a lot better. I would say that the forum good, it's just the docs could be better. After I've gotten up to speed I would be willing to lend a hand making some basic tutorial.
Bren |
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ginge
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 1029
Location: Manchester, UK
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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Bren,
Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate the offer to contribute documentation. It is very hard to get people to document things, and we are always on the lookout.
Maybe the focus of this should be about documentation? Where do you think that we are lacking in documentation? Can you give me a rough idea, and we can draw up some sort of plan to getting it right.
Thanks,
Barry
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linuxguy
Joined: 16 Oct 2006
Posts: 120
Location: Beaverton, OR
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:44 pm Post subject: Re: Mailing List / IRC |
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| ginge wrote: | | I have been thinking on and off about creating a mailing list for OpenServo, or maybe an IRC channel. |
I would not use a mailing list, but I think an IRC channel would be a good tool to have handy. This would be good especially if helping somebody debut an Open Servo problem. That immediate interactivity would be great for this kind of thing and eliminates any need for phone calls over long distances. Debugging could be done much quicker with immediate access.
8-Dale
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kbb
Joined: 01 Jun 2007
Posts: 180
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| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 7:40 pm Post subject: Re: Mailing List / IRC |
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| ginge wrote: | | I have been thinking on and off about creating a mailing list for OpenServo, or maybe an IRC channel. |
From past experiences of being subscribed to mailing lists, I don’t really like them and like to avoid them. A web based forum is much easier to use, it’s interactive, easier to link information and organise. With a mailing list you are stuck with single thread based organisation, and I have seen them implode/explode when they get “overrun” with spammers, people with axes to grind, etc! Unless it is “moderated” but that needs more management time on the part of the person or persons running it.
The thing about running an IRC channel is that it also requires a lot of continued management, likely more so than a web based forum over which you have complete control.
Kevin. |
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kbb
Joined: 01 Jun 2007
Posts: 180
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| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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| ginge wrote: | | Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate the offer to contribute documentation. It is very hard to get people to document things, and we are always on the lookout. |
I guess the modern strategy would be to use a web based wiki: I can certainly see it being advantageous over the less dynamic methods, such as “publishing” web pages or downloadable PDF files, etc. I believe this would encourage people to contribute and also make it easier for them to do so. It would also make it easier to make updates and corrections.
Setting it up in the first place is probably the hard bit!
I think it would be prudent to limit who is allowed to edit what (for example: “registered users” only). A basic “style guide” might be needed so that there is some conformity. And an “editor in chief” to keep things on track, sounds like a good idea. Possibly some kind of “edit control system” should be used to prevent different people tying to update the same article at the same time: I know very little about wiki software itself, so I don’t know how deeply it provides such management facilities. Maybe there should be an “editor in chief” approval process for updates and new pages, etc?
| ginge wrote: | | Where do you think that we are lacking in documentation? Can you give me a rough idea, and we can draw up some sort of plan to getting it right. |
When browsing the documentation things that seem to be missing that I was looking for (unless I missed them!) were a description of the “TWI-bus checked protocol” or how the redirected registers work (currently the only way to find out is to look at the source code). Expanded documentation on register functions could be useful. Etc. I expect we can think of things that may need to be added or improved!
As an example: if I could edit it I could swap the diagrams for the read and write cycles on the “TWI protocol” page (they appear under the wrong headings). Or add an explanation of when to use “not ack” for the novice user who wants to do I˛C at the lower levels.
Kevin. |
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ginge
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 1029
Location: Manchester, UK
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| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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Kevin,
Thanks for the information. We do actually have a wiki. It is based on MoinMoin and I highly recommend you create yourself an account and make the changes you need.
Please feel free to contribute what you can!
| Quote: | | I think it would be prudent to limit who is allowed to edit what (for example: “registered users” only). |
Currently it is a free-for-all. We regularly get hit with chinese spammers, and I am forever removing these pages. Does anyone actually know anything about moinmoin? My knowledge stops at installing it.
| Quote: | | A basic “style guide” might be needed so that there is some conformity. |
That is a good idea. There currently is no real style rule to most of the website, and this was something I hoped to fix. I did actually manage to edit a fair majority of the wiki to create at least a similar feel to things (see the API guide for example)
An overhaul of the website in general in on my todo list, as I feel that links are buried too deep in trees, or there are not enough cross links between the pages.
| Quote: | | And an “editor in chief” to keep things on track, sounds like a good idea. Possibly some kind of “edit control system” should be used to prevent different people tying to update the same article at the same time: ... Maybe there should be an “editor in chief” approval process for updates and new pages, etc? |
Another great idea! I guess this is a call for all documentation gurus to step forward.
if anyone was wondering why I suddenly want to create a public IRC channel... I am getting hit with a lot of MSN/Yahoo users chatting to me about OpenServo. It is not the best way of collaborating on a project, and I would prefer to keep those sort of conversations in a public channel, where at least other people can kick me when I am wrong 
post limit... continued
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Last edited by ginge on Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:55 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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ginge
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Posts: 1029
Location: Manchester, UK
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| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Kevin (kbb) wrote: | | When browsing the documentation things that seem to be missing that I was looking for (unless I missed them!) were a description of the “TWI-bus checked protocol” or how the redirected registers work (currently the only way to find out is to look at the source code).... |
I think that is just about all of the undocumented features. Do you feel you can add them, or shall I put that on my list?
| Kevin (kbb) wrote: | As an example: if I could edit it I could swap the diagrams for the read and write cycles on the “TWI protocol” page (they appear under the wrong headings).
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I can't believe I missed that one. Those pictures have been up for well over a year! Feel free to fix that one. I really should hang my head in shame :/
| Kevin (kbb) wrote: | Or add an explanation of when to use “not ack” for the novice user who wants to do I˛C at the lower levels.
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Be my guest.
Barry
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kbb
Joined: 01 Jun 2007
Posts: 180
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| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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| ginge wrote: | | Be my guest. |
I hadn't spotted that it was a wiki 
I will update the TWI protocol page with the things I know later in the week, after I have read thru the "instructions on editing" (at the moment I need to go to bed)!
Kevin. |
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Kampower
Joined: 31 May 2010
Posts: 7
Location: Hamburg
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| Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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Hi ginge,
I think it a great thing involving the community on these decisions and choices of what they did prefer.
This act of involvement is in line with what I am currently researching about. I am running a survey right now (see my post in OFF-Line forum), on Community expectations in the governance of open source beyond software.
I think the result of this work will be of great help to this community and better inform the admin team on community expectation. See link below also.
http://cgi.tu-harburg.de/~somo1774/survey/index.php?sid=19333&newtest=Y&lang=en
Kampower |
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newyorkdd
Joined: 14 Jul 2011
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 6:26 am Post subject: |
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| OpenServo is an open community-based project that creates low-cost, high quality digital servos for robotics. A microprocessor in every servo and making it easy to re-program allows you to do things that are not possible with other servos: precision feedback and control of position, speed, power; curved motion profiles; distributed motion control algorithms, etc. |
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