[ZDP] ZDP Editor for NW [longish]

[Martijn Faassen]

[discussion about structuring writing process, requirements, etc]

Tom Deprez wrote:
> 
> Come on guys!
[snip]
> Not again! We already asked for requirements (see at richters portal site)!
> and we already sorted them out (see at ZDP)!
[snip]
> About style of ZBook. Correct, this isn't done yet. We, at this moment, all
> agreed (I assumed no reaction as agreement!) that the drafts are being
> written in plain or structured text. Because this allows everybody to write
> something fast without knowing lots of rules!

:) I can get into this sentiment of Tom's just perfectly. In my
experience doing too much preplanning in a volunteer ran open source
project can bog down the stuff. What you guys have been doing is keeping
the momentum by just diving in and writing on particular topics. This
has been loosely structured by the ZCL. This has worked rather well, we
shouldn't lose this.
  
> These drafts are published on
> our status page and to the zdp-list.
> Once a draft is almost finished (editor read it, corrections, additions,
> etc are done), the draft is place on ZBook site (which was our first try to
> publish ZBook)

It still should be put on the website. I think writing the web-based
book should be the *prime* ZDP priority. The paper book will be a nice
way to stimulate people and to make it more coherent, and if it happens
it'll be way cool, but I'd say we should be about the web book first.
This is after all about Zope, which has something to do with the web. :)

> It is then given to the editor, who then styles the draft to a nice piece
> of text. THESE STYLE rules are not yet defined... but also not that
> necessary, because we're still in the draft part of ZBook!!!!

It should be possible to parallelize these processes. One team busies
itself with the editing/coordinating/style guide/structuring/consistency
part of the ZBook (and translating text to Docbook if that's the adopted
format -- docbook seems good for this kind of stuff), while the more
chaotic team frantically produces drafts, comments on these, edits them
(but in a more ad-hoc fashion), and produces vast quantities of raw
materials. Eventually the focus of ZBook development can then move from
the draft team to the edit team, as more and more raw material becomes
available. The edit team will also help the draft team members find
focus for more frantic activity; the edit team can keep a nice website
with requirements, text that has been catalogued by it, etc.
  
Initially we could establish such teams by prefixing any subject on the
list that is about the edit team part of the ZDP with [edit]. Anything
else is the draft team. If this seems to be a good idea we can open a
new mailing list, like zdp-edit, later. Of course nothing stops people
from being in both teams, but separating the tasks in our heads could be
a good idea.

Regards,

Martijn