[SGVLUG] Website Testing

Fri Jul 22 17:11:00 PDT 2005

> -----Original Message-----
> Behalf Of David Lawyer
> 
> Connecting to the site by ssh and editing with vi is about the same
> effort as going to the site with a browser, logging in, and then
> editing.  In any case one has to type in the changes.  And the vi-ssh
> allows the use of a powerful editor that one already knows.

That is an interesting presumption on your part: "that I already know" how to use the "powerful features of vi".  As such, here is the sum total of my knowledge of vi:

  -- to start:  vi <docname>
  -- to type stuff: check status line to see if --INSERT-- is already there, if not press one of "a", "A", "i", or "o" ("O")
  -- when done, press <esc> 
  -- to delete, make sure --INSERT-- is not on, then "dd" takes out a line, "x" takes out a character, and "X" takes out a different character (in --INSERT-- mode, <backspace> or <del> works *most* of the time...)
  -- to save: get out of --INSERT-- mode and type <colon>w!<enter>
     -- and to exit at the same time, type <colon>wq!<enter>
  -- to not save any changes: get out of --INSERT-- mode and type <colon>q!<enter>
  -- to search for something: get out of --INSERT-- mode and type /<text>  (or is it \ ?)

anything more complex than that and I start to look for a manual (global changes?  wazzat?)

In addition to "in any case one has to type the changes...", when editing using vi one has to "know" and apply the markup tags for any emphasis beyond plain text.  With the "wysiwyg" mode web-based editors, you do NOT have to "know" the underlying markup language -- most of the formatting can be done by the editor as you type (or you can "go back, select, and apply formatting" as needed)  True, one could forgo ALL formatting features and stick with "plain text", in which case editing with vi is nearly as simple as with the web-based editor (but you still have to "know" at least the <html><body>stuff</body></html> tags, and perhaps how to create a link...)

Don't get me wrong -- plain text has it's place, and that place is right HERE in e-mails; "fancy" text also has a place, and it is "on a web page", which is what we're trying to accomplish.

> In both cases there is the problem of who to give access to and how
> they will coordinate their work.  For the CMS case, there's the
> problem of who will administer the CMS, including a backup person to
> take over should the administrator leave.

You've got it backwards -- solving the problems of "who will have access and how to coordinate" is part-and-parcel to what a CMS does -- ad-hoc volunteerism and "whomever touched it last" only works if you have exactly one highly enthusiastic webmaster.  As to who will manage the tool itself, that falls to the webmaster.  Since this is equivalent to managing the site itself, there isn't really any "additional" problem here.

> > Are you saying you personally would like to maintain the 
> > site indefinitely on your own?  I don't hear anyone else with much interest 
> in doing it the hard way.
> 
> [...] Since when did I say I would like to
> maintain the site?  Well, I'm willing to give it a try for a few
> months, provided someone else works on the task of listing sgvlug on
> various lists on the Internet.

Hmmm... I think arrangements could be made -- though I'm curious why you waited until now to make this offer -- the "call" for a new webmaster has been out for at least a year, has it not?  [it only became "critical" when the site actually went away -- with the replacement site, we are finally able to add new people to the list of "authorized" webmasters]

Of course, this really should be put to the same level of testing that the current search-for-nirvana is going through -- while I suspect Dustin would not want to open up ssh/shell access for random editing of the site, I don't think he would be adverse to placing a static link to anyone who wants to maintain a version on their own server  (it would then be up to that person as to whether or not he or she wants to allow others access to the site to perform collaborative changes, controlled or otherwise)  Please be sure to add a "poll" to your site to collect "I like it/I hate it" votes similar to what we've done with the current test sites.