[Tagging] The current problem with tagging

John Smith deltafoxtrot256 at gmail.com
Mon Oct 19 12:55:08 BST 2009


2009/10/19 Tobias Knerr <osm at tobias-knerr.de>:
> When I look at the problem, reimplementing all those features I've
> mentioned is a lot more effort than writing a wiki text parser.

The biggest problem is achieving consistency, how could you get that
with the wiki, it's not designed to be machine parsible it's designed
only to be human parsable...

> If you offer a template, people tend to use it in a way that makes
> sense. Of course you cannot strictly enforce it, but that doesn't mean
> it wouldn't work. You still could use automated validation to spot for
> potential problems if you think that's required.

I think you are under estimating the problem, otherwise it would have
already solved itself long ago, but by all means prove me wrong...

> How does the backend used by a web app or editor feature determine
> whether it's easy to use? Why is it harder to use a form whose results

It doesn't, but being able to use it in an editor makes it easier to
use and I don't see the current wiki being easy to update from within
the editor...

> are stored as a wiki template than a form whose results are written to
> some database?

Again, I don't see the wiki doing a good job of it, it does well what
it was designed to do, making free text easy to make, it doesn't make
it easy to use however.

> That doesn't matter unless you manage to convince everyone to not use
> the wiki at all but switch to your solution. If this doesn't work (which
> isn't that unlikely, is it?) information has to be copied from and to
> the wiki - suddenly the effort required is the added effort of both
> solutions.

Well feel free to make the wiki work, I don't think it's possible
without completely re-writting large sections of code so it is useful,
but I'd be happy to be shown how my opinion is wrong because then I
wouldn't need to code anything to make something more useful than the
wiki currently is.

> Which features of your sophisticated solution can NOT be properly
> implemented with a wiki backend? I don't see any except maybe the
> "voting" feature, and even if some data is best stored outside the wiki,
> that doesn't mean you cannot use the wiki for the rest.

Can't easily keep the wiki updated from the number of uses either, or
order the returned information based on those pieces of information.




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