Re: Issue tracking for HTML 2.0 document (HyperNews?)

liberte@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Daniel LaLiberte)
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 94 10:10:10 EDT
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From: liberte@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Daniel LaLiberte)
To: Multiple recipients of list <html-wg@oclc.org>
Subject: Re:  Issue tracking for HTML 2.0 document (HyperNews?)
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I'm pleased you are thinking of using HyperNews for HTML 2.0 issue
tracking.  I believe WIT is better if you can live with the
constraints it imposes.  HyperNews is intended to be more general
purpose.

Concerning the logistical questions:

 - is one big list of issues OK, or do we need to organize them?

If it is a big list, it should be organized into several smaller lists
for better readability.  We can wait until the list grows sufficiently
large, or we can anticipate the need.  Right now there is no mechanism
to help reorganize a tree once it has been created, but the need will
force me to work it out.

 - does hypernews support "closing" a subtree? We should move
        an issue tree from the "open" list to the archive of
        "closed" issues once we think we're done with it

HyperNews has no concept of closing a subtree.  The best way to
represent this is to first split off a subtree into its own base
article, and then state in the base article that this issue is closed,
or whatever.  Someone will want to say something about an issue even
after it has been closed, and why should we stop them?  You can ignore
it if you don't want to be bothered.

 - what about access control? Does anybody have time to
   "clean up the mess"? Can Daniel server as "editor"?
   How about TimBL?

I've resisted taking on any more HyperNews pages, other than on topics
that I am supposed to be working on.  I can maintain the tree of
responses here while someone else (anywhere a URL can point) maintains
the base article(s).  The two jobs really go together, however, since
cleaning up the response tree often means editing the article and
creating new articles.  I'll offer to do it initially though because I
have to work out how to support reorganization.  (URNs would sure
help.)  Ideally, authors of responses could participate in the
reorganization, but that requires authentication which HyperNews also
does not yet support.

 - should I install hypernews on the HaL http server?

That would be cool, though I suspect you don't want to deal with it
just yet.

 - Daniel: do you have time to "suport" this stuff? i.e.
   write very detailed instructions, answer questions, etc?

I'll need help.  You and others can always write instructions and
answer questions in responses, and then I can copy that into the
articles as needed.

dan