[wp-hackers] WordPress DocBook err, Book

[Jacob]

I think one person pointed out that there could be better documentation 
besides the incredibility awesome WordPress codex. However, the 
alternative is known as DocBook and it isn't quite as easy as clicking 
edit and typing wiki markup. The markup for DocBook is quite a bit more 
complex. However, there is a light shining at the end of the tunnel. 
Some applications are available for free that allow for Word/Open 
Office/Notepad style editing of DocBook books.

I've thought about it and I really don't have the time to expend on 
copying the text and playing the role of editor as to how best to apply 
it a book. To be honest, I'm not sure on the copyright issues that doing 
so which might come up. There is a lot of text and editing the better 
parts into more coherent form.

The advantages of docbook, since it is plaintext and available for 
download is that it is translatable. In that, there is a form of help 
that is searchable, translatable, and would provide a highly condensed 
version of help. However, it is unknown how many people would be up to 
translating the whole of the finished docbook.

The second advantage is that there will always be a docbook help version 
available for the version of WordPress. So in theory, you could bundle 
the docbook in with the application or have the various docbooks for the 
WordPress versions online. Also, you would only have to update the parts 
that changed. Most of the time you update the parts that changed and add 
parts that were added in the new version.

You can have an user guide and a developers guide. The end user guide 
can detail with pictures that in the administration, as well as how to 
add comments, and what various options do. The developer guide could 
give the various information on the hooks, template tags, how to write a 
plugin, and other core information.

Besides the possible copyright issues with taking from the WordPress 
codex, it would be take quite a while to write something completely 
absent of any text from the codex. I've been thinking about this and it 
could be quite fun. Given the relative complexity of the markup and 
building, it would be unlikely to replace the codex. It would be a nice 
supplement.

However this should probably be cross posted to wp-docs, I'm not 
subscribed to that mailing list. Just posting to see if anyone would be 
interested in something like this and if what license the codex is.

-- 

Jacob Santos

http://www.santosj.name - blog
http://wordpress.svn.dragonu.net/unittest/ - unofficial WP unit test suite.

Also known as darkdragon and santosj on WP trac.