pcplantdb

[John Schinnerer <eco_living@yahoo.com>]

Aloha,
 
> I'm
> > also moving to python (which I know less well) for [cleaner] longer
> > term development.

Yaaay!  Good move.  Worth the learning curve (which I'm also on...).

> Python's a thing I've never tried either. What are the advantages?

Object-oriented; portable/cross-platform; open source (OSI and GPL
license-compatible); strong dev/user community; hooks to most any other
tools needed, including GUI SDKs, C/C++, etc.; other good stuff - quick
overview here:

http://python.org/doc/Summary.html

Zope (zope.org), the object-oriented web publishing/content management
platform I prefer (and advocate ;-), is written in python.

> I think we need to think much bigger than the permaculture
> world. I think the idea of a truly collaborative plant database
> is such a good one that a lot of people would go for it and its
> relevant to many different spheres: ethnobotany, herbal medicine,
> etc.

I agree with expanding the user scope - more angles to get funding,
more people served, and with careful design no ease-of-use penalties to
various different end-user groups.  Plus avoiding duplication of effort
on multiple lesser databases (and end-user frustration over not knowing
which one might contain the info they need, etc. etc.).

I would be more than happy to work on this if funding is somehow
obtained to make it a paying project.

Offhand I don't know much about getting funding...I suppose it couldn't
hurt to hit up one or more of Paul Allen's foundations... ;-)

cheers,
John S.


=====
John Schinnerer, MA
-------------------------
- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
Food - Water - Shelter - Community - Technology
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net

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