Volunteer for wikifing uccaps.de and idea of merging it with the actual wiki

[timofonic]

Hello,

I'm a big fan of MIDIBOX and hoping to soon having the enough money for mounting a MIDIBOX SID.

I'm addict to the wiki stuff and I have some experience on different wikis. I occasionally do some stuff on wikipedia and knowing the dokuwiki and tikiwiki syntax. I like to creating new articles and editing existing ones, my english is a bit poor but I try to write better on the wiki than forums or IRC/IM.

I think uccaps.de information must be on a wiki, this will help a lot the editing of the information by other people and improving it. Of course TK can review those changes too. An idea could be merging wiki.midibox.org with uccaps.de into one page because practically all content from ucapps is about midibox. The actual page could be redirected to the wiki.

TK: What do you think? I want to help in the wiki stuff, it seems it needs a bit maintaining on certain stuff and I  ask permission and your opinion before doing something. I don't want to annoy with stuff you can consider wrong by some reason I don't know. If you agree, I will help all possible on this effort and helping to maintain the wiki.

[TK.]

This idea isn't so new... the problem is, that so many people offered help in the past, but the results were only an overworked layout or re-verbalized informations from my own page with zero advantages for the users.

It's the content, that counts!

So, my proposal: copy an uCApps page into the Wiki, improve it dramatically, and I will replace the old page by the new wiki page. Please don't do this in hurry, but do this with full dedication. Don't try to revolutionise uCApps.de immediatly and left it as a long-term lot, but bring it slightly into a new direction!

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[timofonic]

Ok, you are right ;)

I'll read uCApps page in a more detailled manner, choose a page to start with and doing the "wikifing experiment". Then I will publish it and say it on this forum thread for your opinion.

What do you think? :)

[DrBunsen]

I would have to agree.  A page at a time is much more likely to get working results than a shotgun approach to the whole site.

However, I think it is useful to still have a "TK approved" official page up for each project, perhaps with a link to the equivalent wiki page for updates and extended content.  I realise that you might not have the time to continuously update each project page, Thorsten, but at least we know that what is up on ucapps is the canonical biblical truth, so to speak.  A wiki could get out of hand.

I'm not saying a wiki page for each ucapps page is a bad idea, just putting in my vote for not taking down the originals.

[timofonic]

But he is the wiki admin and then fix those pages...

[DrBunsen]

If he has the time, being my point.  But then when a page gets altered, will you want to be running back always to check?

[TK.]

I would prefer what I've proposed several times: that uCApps turns into a "reference manual", whereas the wiki goes into the direction of a "user manual".

I would like to concentrate on the specs and requirements, and the wiki could elaborate it more understandable for common users, who are not so deep into the topic.

Example: MIDIbox64 - most people don't know, what cool things they can do with this controller, they don't know, what "Snapshot", "MIDI Merger", "Morphing", "Meta Events" really means. Some people even don't know, what a MIDI controller can do at all, how to setup their software, etc... for myself, this is clearly a part of a user manual, and this is the stuff which has to be documented by the community.

Once such a "user manual" exists, I would just reduce the MIDIbox64 page, so that it highlights the features and lists the links to additional informations. And at least one link would go into the Wiki

Another example: the bootloader page for newbies is clearly a more user friendly description of that what you can read in the expert page -> Wiki.

Also the description of the MIDIbox SID Control Surface needs some extensions, it has been started here: http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=midibox_sid_v1_manual, but it's far from completion. Once this page is complete, I would replace http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_sid_cs.html, but of course, I would never replace the main page http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_sid.html

Of course, the wiki can and should never replace ucapps.de, this would be the wrong way.

So, please don't discuss about the sense or nonsense of the wiki, just improve it! :)

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[doc]

I think uccaps.de information must be on a wiki, this will help a lot the editing of the information by other people and improving it. Of course TK can review those changes too. An idea could be merging wiki.midibox.org with uccaps.de into one page because practically all content from ucapps is about midibox. The actual page could be redirected to the wiki.

I disagree!

I always find it hard to find anything in the wiki. One link leads to another.

Please leave the ucapps.de as it is! Everone can find his information where he likes to.

I agree with TK, that his site should be untouched by users.

(Honestly I like the way the site is builded).

I would prefer what I've proposed several times: that uCApps turns into a "reference manual", whereas the wiki goes into the direction of a "user manual".

I would like to concentrate on the specs and requirements, and the wiki could elaborate it more understandable for common users, who are not so deep into the topic.

This is the way, I want it to see.

greets

Doc

[audiocommander]

Hm, good points said here.

I, too, think that it's difficult/dangerous to duplicate information (which gets problematic if something changes); and therefore links/quotes to/from ucapps.de are better than copies.

Besides the missing menu for the Wiki (which is problematic in my eyes, 'cause the trace is only showing places where one has already been and that's not really useful in most cases ;) – isn't there a menu plugin that could be used?), we need to resolve and merge lots of spreaded pages. For example: search for LCD on the wiki and you'll see what I mean if you look at the pagename-results!

also the namespaces are not really useful (including my own ;D ) so that inter-article linking is not that intuitive as it should be => http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=ain

see what I mean?

To give an example of the problem: where does the LCD belong to?

is it a part? a module? what about software debugging?

I'd say it's a module – including the links to captain hastings G/CLCD tools! but there are surely other opinions out there! IMHO that's the main pain in the arse and the reason why noone finds a thing. So organisation and structure is most needed for the wiki.

Especially if I think back how it was when I was a newbie: I found it really hard to distinguish between hardware modules and available applications, 'cause you're overwhelmed with all the AINx4 OPL3 MB64 MB64/e MB16 SHX HAL2000 CIA FBI THC...

IMHO the projects/modules/application section of the wiki got really improved over the last months. At least I think a newbie can easily grasp what to look out for.

Not sure about the rest (links, intros, tipps & tricks, tools & helpers) though

There are some great tutorials waiting to be discovered in the depths of our Wiki... ;D

I always wanted to develop some icons, I think that would be great for the wiki-home, but unfortunately I never found time for that :-\

so long post, short content:

a lot to do and so little time ;)

Cheers, Michael

[mr.marvelous]

I would prefer what I've proposed several times: that uCApps turns into a "reference manual", whereas the wiki goes into the direction of a "user manual".

I would like to concentrate on the specs and requirements, and the wiki could elaborate it more understandable for common users, who are not so deep into the topic.

Example: MIDIbox64 - most people don't know, what cool things they can do with this controller, they don't know, what "Snapshot", "MIDI Merger", "Morphing", "Meta Events" really means. Some people even don't know, what a MIDI controller can do at all, how to setup their software, etc... for myself, this is clearly a part of a user manual, and this is the stuff which has to be documented by the community.

Once such a "user manual" exists, I would just reduce the MIDIbox64 page, so that it highlights the features and lists the links to additional informations. And at least one link would go into the Wiki

Another example: the bootloader page for newbies is clearly a more user friendly description of that what you can read in the expert page -> Wiki.

Also the description of the MIDIbox SID Control Surface needs some extensions, it has been started here: http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=midibox_sid_v1_manual, but it's far from completion. Once this page is complete, I would replace http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_sid_cs.html, but of course, I would never replace the main page http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_sid.html

Of course, the wiki can and should never replace ucapps.de, this would be the wrong way.

So, please don't discuss about the sense or nonsense of the wiki, just improve it! :)

Best Regards, Thorsten.

I like the idea of the wiki being a more user friendly manual and ucapps being a reference manual. However, i believe that the wiki isnt very user friendly now. I think that the articles need to link out to the reference manual. There seem to be a lot of text that should be links to the wiki, even the simple things such as buttons, pots, and faders deserve their own wiki page (with example pictures!).

This is a bit off topic but, the website could use an overhaul ;) . If you are interested i could throw together a new version (it might take a while). There is a wealth of information and resources to be found here; however I feel (even as a new user) that it seems to be a bit un-userfriendly.

[nILS]

Generally I'd have to agree. The WIKI is great and stuffed with important infos but tremendously clustered. And ucapps.de is a lot more comfortable to browse, but honestly - it hurts my eyes and is a little crowded and appears unstructured due to the design... I don't necessarily think that merging the two will do a lot of good, but redesigning ucapps (and/or the wiki) might lead to a more user-friendly experience.

[stryd_one]

Just don't stuff it up or certain annoying forum members will complain loudly ;D :-X

[mr.marvelous]

Generally I'd have to agree. The WIKI is great and stuffed with important infos but tremendously clustered. And ucapps.de is a lot more comfortable to browse, but honestly - it hurts my eyes and is a little crowded and appears unstructured due to the design... I don't necessarily think that merging the two will do a lot of good, but redesigning ucapps (and/or the wiki) might lead to a more user-friendly experience.

it could be great. Accordion javascript menus, a nice image gallery. Some new graphics.. It would be pretty!

[stryd_one]

Accordion javascript menus, a nice image gallery. Some new graphics.. It would be pretty!

Yeh I can't see any browser compatibility or accesibility problems coming from that

LOL

[seppoman]

Yeh I can't see any browser compatibility or accesibility problems coming from that

I can't see any gain in information accessibility from that ;) I'm not saying I'm against these things, but don't forget the reason for a redesign should be to make finding and interlinking information easier and not to just get cooler graphics and shit moving around on the page :)

Seppoman

[stryd_one]

LOL Did anyone else just picture "Mr. X's Web Page"?

(If not... it's a 'The Simpsons' thing)

[nILS]

stryd_one: Yeah, I totally see that.

Obviously a redesgin shouldn't just make the website prettier. That's pointless. But a new design - even without any change in the page structure itself - can in my opinion help making the information that's there easier to find. And some icons/graphics don't only serve the purpose of making stuff look nice, but they serve as a great way to stress headings/sections and the likes.

Accordion menu: Why bother javascript, when css will do the trick just fine?

Shit, now I'm tempted to prove my point :D

[audiocommander]

I'm not getting the point: We just improved greatly the possibilities and the design of the wiki, but there's still so much to do that I do not understand this useless discussion of "redesigning ucApps"

Our place is the wiki and we can put, sort, redesign every information how we like it.

If I think about the time it took to reply here and the huge amount of chars I see: this time would have been better invested in writing a nice short tutorial instead, filling up the wiki with some really useful informations -  ::)

[mr.marvelous]

Yeh I can't see any browser compatibility or accesibility problems coming from that

LOL

apparently you've never heard of jquery :)

[stryd_one]

Apparently you've never tried this before. Listen to AC.