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  • From: Heide Hermary <heidehermary@pacificcoast.net>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Draft Spec for pcplantdb up on the permaculture wiki
  • Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2002 08:03:19 -0700

Not being an expert at developing such complexes data bases, I'm nonetheless a frustrated user of them.

I think it would be useful at this point to decide how people are going to use the information / to what purpose. I like the information you want to collect about plants, and I have previously posted my PlantDataBaseWishlist on the Wiki.

The problem I see is that, in order to be most widely useful:

* data entry should be in plain language, and by category. Plants
/ Nature defy one-word description.
* search should be by category, with the facility to search text
within the database categories for specific information.

I know this is not what relational databases do at this point. However the technology exists for key word searches / web searches, and the technology exists for relational data bases. Can the Wiki technology not be used to combine these two? I am quite aware that we are talking about something quite new, and something very huge.

Michael and I have discussed this at great length, and that's what he will work on. Neither of us has time to do this right now, even though this is most intriguing. So the best support I can give at the moment are just comments.
Heide

*





Richard Morris wrote:

Hi Folks,
I've put the beginnings of a specification for the
database on the wiki at
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/pcwiki/index.php/PcPlantDb
very incomplete as only a few thoughts about plants.

It would be good to see some comments on this as I'd like to get
things nearly right before diving into coding.
Whether to Wiki or not?
Theres some things I like about the wiki, other bits not so keen on.

I'd like to keep track on who added what, sourcing information I feel is
important.

Very unsure about facilities to change other peoples text, adding text
fine
deleting text not so sure on.

Its a bit unstructured for me. Several very important features of a
professional
DB not apparent in wiki culture. I seem to get lost very easily.

The sections noted in the specs could be used in wiki pages.

Time for bed

Rich
--
Plants for a Future: 7000 useful plants
Web: http://www.pfaf.org/ := http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Snail: Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF
Tel: 01208 872 963 / 0845 458 4719
Email: webmaster@pfaf.org PFAF electronic mailing list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pfaf

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