[R-wiki] Wiki and R namespaces

[Martin Maechler]

>>>>> "PhGr" == Philippe Grosjean <phgrosjean at sciviews.org>
>>>>>     on Fri, 07 Apr 2006 09:18:53 +0200 writes:

    PhGr> Martin Maechler wrote:
    >>>>>>> "HenrikB" == Henrik Bengtsson <hb at maths.lth.se> on
    >>>>>>> Thu, 6 Apr 2006 16:12:48 +0200 writes:
    >>
    HenrikB> More feedback: The word 'namespace' will most
    HenrikB> certainly be confusing in the R-wiki.  When I went
    HenrikB> to "rdoc" to see help on R functions, I though
    HenrikB> "namespaces" referred to R namespaces and that the
    HenrikB> sentence "This is an index over all available pages
    HenrikB> ordered by namespaces" was simply a mistake.  Then
    HenrikB> I saw the same on the front page and realized my
    HenrikB> mistake.
    >>
    HenrikB> I think it is clearer write "Wiki namespaces" or
    HenrikB> even "Wiki (not R) namespaces" whereever using the
    HenrikB> word.

    PhGr> This is noted (I am currently in holydays with limited
    PhGr> access to the Internet, but I will look at this as
    PhGr> soon as possible).

    >> I agree.
    >> 
    >> In spite of the fact, Philippe has already spent a
    >> tremendous amount of work on this which I appreciate
    >> deeply, let me take the opportunity to say even more on
    >> this topic:
    >> 
    >> More generally, I think there's currently still a bit too
    >> much visible "on Wiki" instead of "on R".  The normal
    >> person approach to R-Wiki should be to find a place were
    >> one finds lots of useful information about R.  Only when
    >> exploring this information the user should find out about
    >> the possibility to *add* information her/him - self or
    >> about how the wiki is organized ``internally''.  I think
    >> this is the approach that has made Wikipedia so
    >> attractive.
    >> 
    >> Martin

    PhGr> I suppose it is a consequence on being mostly focused
    PhGr> on the development of the R-specific Wiki engine
    PhGr> features... 
indeed.  very sensibly, even logically.
    PhGr> and on the limited number of pages dealing
    PhGr> with R itself (thanks to many contributors). 

    PhGr> Martin, do you really think that the [[start]] page focuses
    PhGr> too much on the Wiki, and not enough on R?

yes, even that one:

- If I read from left to right, 
  I see  "Edit this Page",  "Old Revisions", "Recent Changes"
  and only then Search [........].

  I think the normal entry should not see the three options above
  on the top line, but rather on the bottom of the page (maybe
  even only after scrolling to that bottom).

- The lefthand side (navigation?) index is much too easily
  leading completely astray:

  If I click at the first item, " |>  getting started"
  two things happen:

   1) The "getting started" is expanded into subitems (=the expected action)

   2) The nice content of the start page itself is replaced by
      the 'Index' menu -- so I now have the same (``technical, non-R'')
      index menu: both in the left menu, and as main content.
    
   Since I don't like that, I now click on the [[Start]]
   `button' (top-left, inside the nice graphic)
   but I do **NOT** get to the top, but to a completely useless
   (from an average R user's point of view) page with title  'Backlinks'
   http://wiki.r-project.org/rwiki/doku.php?id=start&do=backlink

The last one is probably a buglet in your setup;
but in any case, the left-handside navigation "looks and feels" 
``technical'', not R-related but ``wiki-author related'' inspite
of its items ("getting started", .. "tips", "packages", ...)
that sound promising and related to R.

    PhGr> OK, I'll consider this and make "Wiki technical pages"
    PhGr> a little bit less invasive on R Wiki.

    PhGr> Best,

    PhGr> Philippe Grosjean