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pcplantdb - Re: [pcplantdb] synthesis[17][8.26.04] - specs

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  • From: John Schinnerer <john@eco-living.net>
  • To: pcplantdb@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [pcplantdb] synthesis[17][8.26.04] - specs
  • Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 10:39:02 +0000

Aloha,

Stephanie Gerson wrote:
I don't necessarily think that moving Eden onto Ibiblio is the solution to this - we should just try to reach an agreement so that Chad and others can get started. If nothing else, I can show them the type of design documents Archer was referring to.

Speaking of which, we don't even have a basic spec of any kind.
No need for volumes of yadda-yadda, but some fundamental statements as to what the phase one system will DO are IMO necessary.
For example:

Permaculture.info web application, phase one, will:

* enable authorized users to create plant entities within the permaculture.info database
* enable authorized users to input plant data into such plant entities, in various forms (string, text field, numeric, date, list, image, etc.)
* enable authorized users to edit plant entity data in various forms (as above)
* enable registered users to add discrete information to (annotate...?) a plant entity (narrative comments, additions/suggestions, etc.)
* enable anonymous users to search for (query the database on) plants or plant-related information using a variety of search fields including but not limited to:
- name(s) of plant(s)
- botanical characteristics of plants
- functional characteristics of plants
- location, climate, etc.
- etc. etc. (I am just giving example of high-level spec - more details needed here)
* implement initial plant entity creation, input, editing, annotation and searching using css- and xhtml-validated web forms/web pages accessible by all browsers/internet devices.
* and so on...

The above example implicitly creates three user classes already - authorized, registered and anonymous - so that's part of a spec as well - user type definitions and privileges.

The above is also extremely high-level - a bit (but not too much) more detail would be a very good idea, such as inserting an eventual plant entity attribute list, details of search options/implementation, how/what of registered user annotation, and so on.

IMO there is no clear idea common to us all as to what "phase one" will actually DO.
This is likely to lead to more annoyance and wasted time/money when Chad and Rich implement what they think it ought to do and the rest of the group finds out it's not necessarily what they think it ought to do.

Annoyance if we don't take the time to sort at least the basics out first, so people know what to expect to a certain extent.
Wasted time/money in hashing out phase one basic specs *after* some amount of implementation has already been done and then has to be redone.


--

John Schinnerer - MA, Whole Systems Design
------------------------------------------
- Eco-Living -
Whole Systems Design Services
People - Place - Learning - Integration
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net




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