What's Next for Lev?

[Theo Armour]

Hi Lev

 

Two places where we should all collaborate:

 

1. Getting Started

You have a specification outline:
https://github.com/patterns-dev/patterns/wiki/Specification

 

You have a demo:

http://placepatterns.org/prototype1/Place.html

 

Does it begin to feel like you can see/feel/code the app?

 

What can we others do to help you fill in blanks and to help you get started?

 

(Besides cutting huge checks.)

 

 

2. Getting Finished

 

You are pretty much 'it' in terms of professional programming skills we can put onto the project.

 

Your brain should be focused on the special and unique aspects of the place patterns project.

 

Any time spent on mundane tasks including things like ID verification, or uploading and storing images or GUI matters such as on-line editors is probably not a highest and best use of your time.

 

Please do use this mailing list to offload the mundane tasks.

 

Do ask something like: "There are several things/areas where it would be nice to know the latest and greatest, most widely used solution. Please find them for me…"

 

 

Theo

 

 

[Eliezer Israel]

Theo - 

Thanks for the continued focusing work that you're doing - I appreciate it.

I don't yet have a full picture of the app, but I have a good sense of the next steps toward the next milestone.  I'm working toward the rough spec up on the site, based on Wordpress, and aim to use to engage users and feedback.

Wordpress as a multi-developer platform is pretty weak. Given that so much configuration data lives in the database, it's not easy to have multiple development environments.

I'm happy to have other developers on the placepatterns.org production copy, but we'll have to stay in close contact in order to stay synchronized.  Theo, send along a public SSH key, and I'll create an account for you.  Anyone else who'd like SSH access, let me know.   

And...little checks help as well. ;)

[Theo Armour]

Lev

 

>> Wordpress as a multi-developer platform is pretty weak. Given that so much configuration data >> lives in the database, it's not easy to have multiple development environments.

 

I completely agree with these thoughts.

 

Can we double click into this a bit?

 

What are your planned uses for WordPress?

 

WordPress has both huge strengths and big gaps.

 

So let's only use WordPress for what's it good for…

 

**

 

A thought:

 

WordPress enables Tom, Dick and Sherry to build websites really quickly and easily.

 

I know, I could probabably set up a creditable wordpress.com site in under five minutes (for example: jonstrand.net - OK it's five minute blogger site)

 

So instead of having one massive WordPress site - gobbling up servers, attracting hackers, causing nightsweats - let's help our users set up their own sites or enhance existing sites  - on WordPress, Blogger, Weebly or wherever.

 

Users can mix and match patterns downloaded from our server.

 

On their own web sites they can upload images, add text, customize however.

 

The data is fully federated from the get-go.  Keep Ward happy.

 

All we need to expose to these users is a simple shopfront type of experience where people can select new patterns to add to their collection.

 

Downloadable stuff might include patterns, pattern utilities, images, CAD drawings and more - probably on a freemium basis.

 

In essence we allow an architect, contractor, developer to kit out their [existing] site in delightful new ways.

 

**

 

We would also need to build some utilities so that our users can push new patterns from their web sites to ours.

 

There are a numbers of ways we could work out pushing new patterns back up to us including:

 

·         User exports XML file of a post

·         We supply a plugin

·         user come to our site and enter data

 

**

 

An important thing is that we maintain total control over the IP on our site.

 

All the copyright license infringements occur on end-user sites. Let them show things they should not show, but not us. ;-)

 

We become experts at Fair Use. Slurping tasty new data from around the world of patterns - and make it readily available to sites looking for great content that their web dudes can customize for particular uses.

 

***

 

Later on this evening you will receive a link to a publically shared Google gDrive folder - replete with 253 files tagged according to CA's structures

 

Tomorrow or so, you will receive a link to a WordPress (or maybe Blogger - depending on which is easier) again with every pattern as a single page - and with at least one methods of tagging. I hope to push data to this site by using email to populate the pages.

 

All the sites - HTML, gDrive, Word  - will be created by using the single simple PHP file we have been playing with already  that sucks data off a server, process it and the pushes it out to the Federation.

 

Our expertise becomes how to bring the power of git the masses - enebling people to fork and merge without having to think too hard about it.

 

The essential element of this is that data can be anywhere and in any format - gDocs, WP, XML, SQL - who cares. - we can create the supreme git pushme-pullyou [Or pushmi-pullyu. Did you ever yead Dr Dolittle as a child?]

 

Theo

[Eliezer Israel]

Theo - 

The architecture that you sketched out sounds to me to be exactly what Ward and crew are working on.

What I'm aiming for - and this a question that I myself am circling around - is engagement of the community that cares about patterns.  Currently - I know that community exists, but I'm not clear how to get them talking to each other and co-creating.  

I'm hoping for a plurality of projects and sites - that the *ideas* have currency and offer their contribution to the built environment, not that any site finds a success.  (Though if the second happens in service of the first, that's fine.)  

What I'm working on locally, in these days, is a wordpress site with:

1) two classes: Pattern and Place

2) a m:n relationship between them

3) ability for users to comment on patterns and places

4) ability for users to contribute patterns and places from the frontend

5) ability for users to contribute images to existing patterns and places

6) a small seed of patterns and places

I'm at 2 on this list right now.  3 is easy, and none of them are rocket science.

Question is - can this be enough to start rallying engagement now. 

Content generated on this platform can always be ported out to whatever the next platform is - fed wiki, what have you. 

Thoughts?

Lev

[Eliezer Israel]

If you're going to work on getting this into wordpress, load it over on placepatterns.org!

I'm attaching a quick script showing how to use the wordpress API to load these.  Almost too simple to bother sending an example. 

Links should end up looking like: http://placepatterns.org/patterns/independent-regions (the last part, the "slug" is defined during the load process.  It's the 'post-name' variable.)

You can send me a script to run on the server, or send along your public key...

I had intended to load only a handful - 20 or so - as an initial seed set - but I'm open to thoughts on this.

[Theo Armour]

Lev

 

Below are ideas that came into my head as I read your email.

 

No need to reply on any of these, They are just observations/rhetorical remarks.

 

Theo

 

**

 

>> The architecture that you sketched out sounds to me to be exactly what Ward and crew are working on.

>> What I'm aiming for - and this a question that I myself am circling around - is engagement of the community that cares about patterns.

>>  Currently - I know that community exists, but I'm not clear how to get them talking to each other and co-creating. 

 

Is the following a reasonable simplification of the above?

 

Ward is working on excellent forking.

Lev is working on excellent merging.

 

>> What I'm aiming for - and this a question that I myself am circling around - is engagement of the community that cares about patterns. 

>> Currently - I know that community exists, but I'm not clear how to get them talking to each other and co-creating. 

 

Examples of where millions of people do communicate in fair depth on particular topics:

http://www.internetbrands.com/our-brands/home/

 

 

>> What I'm working on locally, in these days, is a wordpress site with:

 

So I am seeing a front page like http://pinterest.com or perhaps more like http://wikitravel.org?

 

 

>> 2) a m:n relationship between them

 

Very much agree this would be the case. + all relationships past, present and future.

 

My advice here is to work on exactly a single on-to-one relationship at a time. Make it a very good relationship.

 

Then go and do another one-to-one.

 

Be forewarned: I can write for hours on this one topic.  ;-)

 

 

>> 3) ability for users to comment on patterns and places

 

Do remember there are so many ways of commenting. For example:

 

WordPress: after a post and very subservient to the post.

Forum: everybody for themselves.

Wiki: Edit the text but talk about it elsewhere.

PDF: comment bubbles

AutoCAD: redlining

Skype: chatting side-bars

 

Each method creates a different perspective for audience and author and commenter. Each commenting 'milieu' has its own quite particular strengths and weaknesses.

 

 

>> >> 4) ability for users to contribute patterns and places from the frontend

 

This has a forum-like feeling to me – something like http://deviantart.com or http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/

 

Could they contribute in hopes of making money?

 

 

>> 5) ability for users to contribute images to existing patterns and places

 

The Patterns part: Something like adding images to a Flickr category?

The Places part: Something like placing tags on Google maps?

 

 

>> 6) a small seed of patterns and places

 

I wonder why you say 'small'.

 

Is this because you are thinking of a Fair Use gambit on CA's patterns? Like 10 out of 253 would be OK?

 

Or are you thinking of new patterns that are perfectly crafted and used to supply some good examples?