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Subject: 
New Collaborative website for Lego Robotics
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics
Date: 
Tue, 5 Jan 1999 14:46:18 GMT
Viewed: 
1118 times
  
Folks,

I have launched what I hope will be a solution to several problems that
arise with the use of this newsgroup/mailing list as a repository of
infomation for LEGO robotics. Many of you have noted that there is a need
for an FAQ and you will also have become aware that we often see the same
topics cropping up again and again in this group. Normally this sort of
enduring information is better suited to residing on a web site but this
requires someone to adminster it and not many people are willing to take on
the responsibility of doing so.

I believe that the best answer is a WikiWeb site. A WikiWeb is a
collaborative site which is editable by everyone and so it is great for
pooling information from a wide number of sources. Apart from the fact that
the pages are editable, the site acts like any other, although there are
some rather nifty search facilities built into it too. Also, you don't have
to worry about learning HTML or installing any fancy web editors since the
WikiWeb is geared towards simple creation and editing of pages by just using
a web browser.

Enough of this chat though. The best way to understand Wiki is to see it in
action. I have created a WikiWeb for LEGO robotics topics at:

http://www.object-arts.com/wiki/html/Lego-Robotics/FrontPage.htm

The site as it stands now is a skeleton to which I have added a few pages to
get things started. Your job is to start populating it with new pages that
come under your area of expertise. Please read the page on
GettingStartedWithWiki before you leap in and add new stuff. You'll find the
method of creating new links is rather novel and encourages others to
contribute with ideas or topics that you don't have enough knowledge to fill
in yourself.

Typical pages you might want to add are:

1. For new RCX/CyberMaster programming systems. Add a link to a page that
briefly describes a system you know about (or have written) to the
NewProgrammingSystems page. You can then link off to an appropriate download
area or home page for the system.

2. New firmware pages. I've created a link for NewFirmwareForTheRCX from the
Contents page. You might like to add information regarding new,
downloadable, operating systems such as LegOS to this page.

3. There is an FAQ page. I suggest this is used as index to addtional
topic-based FAQ pages.

4. The InsideTheRCX link is intended for discussing the ins and outs of the
RCX bytecode interpreter and the Spirit OCX control. Russell (Nelson) would
you like to add (or link in) some of the info from your site to this page.

5. There is a section for YourProjects. Why not publish your robotics
creations here, or even just ideas for bot that you want to build. Hopefully
these will spark of some lively discussion.

6. You can also add personal pages (such as my one, AndyBower) so we can get
to know more about you. Images can be added but must be linked off another
website (see my page for how to do this). Don't forget to add your personal
pages to the People category so they can be found easily.

7. If you have a related website or newsgroup, please add it to the
RelatedResources link.

Please note that the Lego-Robotics Wiki is not meant to usurp or replace
this newsgroup/list. It is not really a suitable forum for threaded
discussions but is (I hope) a more suitable home for persistent information.
If you find yourself writing an reply to the newsgroup which contains
information that you think might be useful to others in a months time, why
not add it to the Wiki first. You can then link to this from your message,
and what you write becomes eminently more useful to all. You should find it
is easier to search the Wiki than various newsgroup digests.

By the way, in case you're wondering what happens if someone trashes the
site, you'll be pleased to know that log files of all changes are kept along
with the IP addresses of the modifier. This makes it very easy to restore
old copies of pages should they ever become vandalised; in fact, it's
actually quicker to restore a page than vandalise it in the first place.

I hope you all find this site to be useful.

Get Wikiing.

Best regards,

Andy Bower
http://www.object-arts.com



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: New Collaborative website for Lego Robotics
 
Andy Bower writes: > I have launched what I hope will be a solution to several problems that > arise with the use of this newsgroup/mailing list as a repository of > infomation for LEGO robotics. Many of you have noted that there is a need > for an (...) (25 years ago, 5-Jan-99, to lugnet.robotics)

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