permaculture

[pfaf@scs.leeds.ac.uk]

Jeffrey Newman wrote:
>> I searched star thistle on the PFAF database.
>>  Not there.

Oh yes it is! Try
        http://www.metalab.unc.edu/pfaf/cgi-bin/find_lat?COM=star+thistle
which lists, 
        Centaurea calcitrapa and Centaurea solstitialis (Yellow star
thistle). The reason you didn't find it is probably that the database
is a bit fussy on punctuation: a search for "starthistle" won't work
but a search for "star thistle" will. One of these days I'll try and
make the algorithm a bit cleverer. 

        On the subject of XML and SGML I can't see what all the
fuss is about. As far as permaculture is concerned is mainly plain
text and graphics, there is really little need for the fancy
stuff and HTML will do. The other disadvantage of all this stuff
is it takes much longer to produce the material (about ten fold
for each new technology added ie 1 hour to write plane text,
10 for html + graphics, 100 to write all singing applications
with animations and stuff.)

        What I'd like to see on the permaculture web, is more
in depth material (not just more introductions to permaculture).
Has anyone out there written a book? If the text from that is
avaliable then its a fairly easy task to put it up on the web,
and quite a few people with the skills to do it.

        I'd also like to initiate a co-operative links page. The
web is growing just to big these days to keep on top of all the material
even within our subject area. To really geta good resource database
would take a lot of people contributing to a common source.
We'ed also need some faily nutral way of assessing sites (i.e.
what information they contain etc) If anyones into this idea drop me
a line. BTW if any ones got a database they would like to hook
up to the net I can help with that as well.

                ttfn

                        Rich

Rich Morris (pfaf@scs.leeds.ac.uk) for
Plants for a Future: more than just potato's
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, England
Tel: (+44 1208) 872963

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