On Tue, May 4, 2010 at 11:34 AM, Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@q.com> wrote:
> That'll make searching a PITA. �Nothing wrong with duplicate info. �If done
> properly, this project should provide a one-stop location for all matters
> Vanagon, including Vanagon Rescue info. �It could be downloadable to a DVD
> and carried in the glovebox.

That's an excellent idea.  It would be tremendously optimistic to
think that we are going to be "the" place for all of that information,
but it's a good goal to strive for.  Whoever is currently maintaining
the Rescue list may not agree to let us use the information that way.
It's possible that we could set up some kind of mirroring, but then
you get into the issue of whether your copy has been added to, etc.

I would say that we should probably start by seeing what we can get
going, with an eye toward one day being "the thing you want on DVD in
your glovebox".  If we end up being that thing, then it will be
natural for people to either willingly contribute their data to the
wiki or there will be enough momentum at that point that it won't
matter because information can be reproduced or replaced by the
community.

I think the SocialText wiki was experimenting with an offline mode a
while back, but I don't know where it ended up (I believe mediawiki is
php with a mysql backend which might make it hard to get into offline
format--but maybe someone has already done the work of spidering and
caching a mediawiki to disk?  Seems like we can't be the only ones
that have wanted that capability.)

Perhaps we should ask the question of downloadability before we add a
bunch of content to a wiki that would make it hard to do that.
Information about "elderly automobiles that people take to the
boonies" is definitely in a different class than other information in
the sense of how important downloadability is!

mike

>
> Links are fine, and should be included, but a complete guide would be
> better.
>
> Karl Wolz
>
> |
> |That's great. �One good policy for our wiki would be to not duplicate
> |anything on any other wiki anywhere, as long as that wiki is open for
> |improvements. �No point in wasting time repeating the information when
> |all we have to contribute is a little extra piece. �Better to
> |contribute that little extra piece to the wiki that has it most of the
> |way there, and link.
> |
> |>
>
>