[pmwiki-users] 2.2 Series & Blog/comments

[Ben Wilson]

First, this means I should put off my own Blog/comments intent.

BLUF
====

First, I propose that blog features are not needed for the core. They
are either already a part of the core (thus can be expressed best in a
recipe) or can be added to the core without focusing on blogging
specifically. Rather, I propose that blog recipe owners work together
with Pm to unify the assorted recipes into a semi-official recipe.
Thus, we have a unified blog approach _without_ freaping feeturism in
the core. Other comments have resisted blogging. I resist both
blogging and comments because I believe a better solution is to have a
unified recipe for each, created as a collaboration of authors and Pm,
rather than formal introduction to the core. Then, if these recipes
become so compelling as to necessitate their entry into the core, then
2.3 is not far behind.

Blog
====

It has already been said that (blog != wiki). With the exception of a
commenting scheme, most blog features are already possible via the
core. What is a blog? It's a page with the authors thoughts, followed
by a list of comments.

There seems to be a trend to number the blog entries, but this is
really an artifact of the fact that most blog software rely on RDBMSs.
The other reason for numbering is as an easy way to order the entries
(e.g. 123 comes before 124). The reaction to this is for blog software
to have reader-friendly urls which map back to the entry. Sort of
sounds like DNS resolution redux. The PmWiki blog experience suggests
the need for page names based on date---probably to ease use in a blog
calendar.

PmWiki does not need to rely upon number schemes. We have the ability
to do page lists via ctime. I would opine that the core could make it
easier for calendar packages to retrieve the page time (which is more
likely an artifact of my ignorance if it does), rather than try to
formulate a number-based scheme. FWIW, I've been planning a blog
system that does just that--forgoes the page number in favor of the
entry title, then uses ctime for ordering. I doubt I'm unique in this
approach.

What other features are inherent in a blog nowdays? Tags? Calendars?
Archive pages? Comments? Tags are just categories. Calendars can be
coded without the core. Archive pages can also be made a recipe.
Comments can be seen below.

Without confering with him, I infer that Pm is suggesting adding
Blogging to the core because of the interest in the threads and lack
of consensus/uniformity in the recipes. Perhaps the blog authors
should get together and work with Pm to unify the approach so that
PmWiki can offer one-solid blog approach, rather than several.

Comments
========

Comments are not incongruent with wikis. If you look at the "original
wiki," the pages are used in part as threaded discussions, with
refactoring. So, to add a comments ability to the core is not too far
off base. However, I think it would be preferable to retain this as a
recipe. As there are several recipes, perhaps Pm should work with the
recipe authors to refine the comments system as he is proposing to do
with the core. Then, rather than adding it to the core, it is made
available as a recipe.

IMO, the core should offer hooks that make it easier to make good
recipes. So far, the core has that. However, blogging and comments can
be effectively done without adding the specific behavior in the core.

-- 
Ben Wilson
"All this worldly wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of some wise man." HDT