[Isis-users] New ABCD documentation co-operation scheme and proposal

[De Smet Egbert]

Dear colleagues,

as we are now working on an update of the ABCD documentation, mostly the 'Central' module manual 'ABC of ABCD' (BIREME remaining responsible for the manuals on the modules Site, iAH and Secs-web), we would like to propose sort of a co-operation scheme as follows :
- I myself remain the principal 'editor' for final responsibility; I do this with a special 'DOCBOOK' -format using an XML editor. This has the disadvantage of being somehow less fancy in graphical presentations but much more rigid re structure. Also using an XML-DOCBOOK master file makes it easier to produce multiple output formats such as DOC, HTML, PDF etc.
- nevertheless : the manual will be made available through the ISIS-list now in parts, e.g. 'installation of ABCD', under the .docx or .odf word-processor format, and those who are prepared/interested to contribute, by making remarks, editing parts, checking everything etc. can do so, provided they submit their edited electronic copy with changes clearly marked electronically (e.g. as 'tracked changes', colored etc.) to the list (and myself)
- I will consider and check all edits submitted by colleagues - on a purely voluntary basis - and decide whether or not to accept the changes into the master document.

As a first test I want to publish the chapter about ABCD installation, since you can now fully experiment with this. This is the third part of the first chapter 'Introduction'. Earlier parts in the manual like the introduction on ISIS and ISIS/ABCD-technology, only have got some minor updates and don't need such intensive co-operation scheme. After the chapter 'Introduction' follows the specific part on the 'Central' module, followed by much shorter chapters on OAI (a new version is being prepared) and CISIS-management. The remaining chapters deal with the BIREME-covered modules like iAH, Site and Secs-Web, for which the existing manuals can still serve.

Next for intensive co-operation editing will come the crucial chapter, with many new additions, on the Central module, with quite some new features in database definition, including the many data-entry possibilities (in the FDT and worksheets).
Another major effort will be needed to cover all aspects of the ABCD circulation module, now including reservations.

My proposal is also to first finish the English version (sorry for the many Spanish-speaking ABCD-users), and from there to derive other languages (Spanish, French, Portugese).
I will wait until the end of this running week for your feedback on the methodology, then hopefully in the weekend I can publish the first chapter-to-be-edited on ABCD installation. This includes instructions on Apache and PHP-configuration but also e.g. installation in WAMP, and therefore is a bit technical at times.

So you are invited to react on the proposed methodology, hopefully in a positive constructive approach.

Egbert de Smet
Universiteit Antwerpen
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