[gameprogrammer] Re: Wiki

[Paul Smith <bob@pcs.uklinux.net>]

On Sun, 2004-06-13 at 17:52, Alexa Pongracz wrote:
> I only just joined the list and already have gotten so much out of it so
> thanks. I am working on learning as well as lurking and the idea of free
> tutorials is grand. I am not a coder (yet) but I am a writer if anyone wants
> me to proof something I could help there. Let me know

Well, that's the idea of a wiki.  All the pages are publicly editable by
any user, so there's no real need for proof reading.  Someone gets the
ball rolling by writing an article, then if (for example) one paragraph
in the middle is unclear, someone else can come in and re-write that
paragraph, or link it to a whole new page on the subject, or whatever.

Of course, you can use the ability to edit to leave comments behind at
the bottom of the page for instance, such as further questions on a
subject, links to further reference material, or perhaps opening a
debate up on a particular point.  The process goes something like this
(How many times have you seen something like this in a real article...):

Original page written by expert programmer A:

.
.
It's clear from the above that the object is only visible if A>12 and
t>20.
.
.

Edited by beginner programmer B:

.
.
It's clear from the above that the object is only visible if A>12 and
t>20.

    (B's username): You say it's clear, but I still don't see it...
.
.

Edited by helpful amateur writer C:

.
.
It's clear from the above that the object is only visible if A>12 and
t>20.

    (B's username): You say it's clear, but I still don't see it...
    (C): Well, think about it this way.  If A<12 the object is
         hidden behind the static wall.  It takes until t=20 for the
         moving platform to be low enough for the object to be seen
         over the top.
.
.

B replies to say thank you:

.
.
It's clear from the above that the object is only visible if A>12 and
t>20.

    (B's username): You say it's clear, but I still don't see it...
    (C): Well, think about it this way.  If A<12 the object is
         hidden behind the static wall.  It takes until t=20 for the
         moving platform to be low enough for the object to be seen
         over the top.
    (B): Ah, I get it now, I'd forgotten that the platform was
         moving!  Silly me...
.
.

Then, helpful person D, deciding the question had been clarified,
re-writes it back into the original article:

.
.
It's clear from the above that the object is only visible if A>12 (to
get around the static wall) and t>20 (as before t=20 the moving platform
is still in the way).
.
.

End result:  Person A wrote a very good article, then without any
further input from the original author, a slightly confusing paragraph
got clarified and cleaned up.  That's far more effective than a proof
reader ;)

Another very useful side effect is that information rarely has a chance
to go stale.  For instance, how many times have you been to a website
that promises links to download the latest tool you're after, only to
find a broken link?  With wiki, once you've eventually found where the
link should really point, you can change the link yourself and save the
future anguish of hundreds of users :)

Sorry I've gone on a bit, but recently I've become something of a wiki
fan, and I really want Bob to maintain one for GP, there's already been
a lot of support for the idea.  I just hope that after his wiki has
become amazingly popular, his webserver and mailing list has the power
to handle the sheer number of new users that will sign up ;)



> Alexa
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gameprogrammer-bounce@freelists.org
> [mailto:gameprogrammer-bounce@freelists.org] On Behalf Of Gautam Narain
> Sent: Sunday, June 13, 2004 7:06 AM
> To: gameprogrammer@freelists.org
> Subject: [gameprogrammer] Re: Wiki
> 
> Hey,
> 
> I would be interested in that PS2 tutorial. And maybe I could donate some 
> tutorials too although I am not that experienced as you all are :).
> 
> Gautam Narain
> 
> 
> >Subject: [gameprogrammer] Re: Wiki
> >From: Paul Smith <bob@pcs.uklinux.net>
> >Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2004 13:05:34 +0100
> >
> 
> >I'd use it to write articles about game programming to get them
> >peer-reviewed.  I'm sure there's enough knowledge on this list to write
> >a decent book or 2 on game programming, if only people would get it down
> >on paper.  The wiki process would really help crystallize this
> >knowledge. (I presume submissions would be under some kind of open
> >content license?)
> >
> >If the game programmer wiki starts up, I'll donate my tutorial series on
> >programming the Playstation2 Vector Units to get the ball rolling
> >(although I'm aware that there may be no-one on the list interested it
> >PS2!)
> >
> >Bob, you've written some very good articles on SDL in the past, but I'm
> >also aware they are a source of income for you.  I think publishing some
> >SDL articles in an open form on such a wiki would also be a great way to
> >get things rolling.
> >
> >So, yes, I fully support the wiki idea 100%.  One note - requiring a
> >login makes it just one step harder to write on an article, either to
> >append a question or correct something as trivial as a spelling
> >mistake.  I think the wiki would benefit from not requiring a logon.  I
> >don't think that requiring a logon gives you much security anyway, but
> >to get a decent amount of writing going into a wiki it has to be as easy
> >as possible to create an article there.
> >
> >There's my tuppence :)
> >
> >Paul Smith
> >
> 
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