From: silver <silver@silverchat.com>
Subject: The Perl Index Project
Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 01:39:11 -0500

http://www.silverchat.com/~silver/perlindex

The Perl Index Project

= Goal =

Provide a place where you can look up a language construct, or a concept,
and get an index across as many useful references as the net can get its
hands on. Theoretically making you much more likely to be able to find
the right book the first time, or help you read as much as possible about
something.

= Plan =

The Perl Index Project is a four phase plan.

Phase 1: Proof of Concept
Because this project relies on data entry, I need a very concise and
easy to type data format. I'm working on that. I'll also need to write
a "format->html" converter, but Perl makes that an easy Joy.
Once that is done, I'll type the indexable material from a few dozen pages of
the venerated Camel book, to demonstrate my own dedication to the project, and
to work the bugs out of the format and html converter.

Phase 2: Permission
I need to write to the publishers of the various books and make sure
they're "okay" with it. I don't really see why not, since it is in essence
free advertising and a way to make their books more useful, but you never
know how corporate minds are. It might be more sane to do this before phase 1,
but if the project languishes and dies in phase 1, then I don't want to hassle
them. Currently, this means contacting O'Reilly, Addison-Wesley, and
Readable Publications.

Phase 3: The Boring Part
Then I start typing. A lot. And hopefully get contributions from the
net. I'll have a little CGI set up on this page to allow people to "claim"
pages - at first a few per person, but frequent contributors will be
"trusted" to claim more. Woo. hopefully, this will only take a few months,
I really have no idea what the volunteer response will be, since it's
bloody tedious work.

Phase 4: Search Engine and Maintenance
Either I or someone much more clever than I will then install a search
engine, and the whole thing will be "done" until the next book or TPJ issue
comes out. And hopefully my poor little server will be able to keep up
with the usage load.

= Books and Publications =

So far, my plans are to index: the Camel book, the Panther book, the Ram book,
Perl in a Nutshell, and Learning Perl/Tk, all published by O'Reilly;
Effective Perl Programming, published by Addison Wesley; all issues of
The Perl Journal, published by Readable Publications; and the Perl FAQs and
pods online. Any other books recommended (like by getting five camels from Tom
Christiansen) will be considered once "some progress" has been made.

= What I want in an Entry =

Right up at top, I want, in bold, page numbers for the "canonical definition".
Then the various subheadings and whatnot, and finally a pile of concrete
usage examples - often a construct is used in sample code elsewhere in a book,
and it's never indexed. Right now I'm considering the "no entry is too
obscure" rule, though then the data format would have to be modified to
allow "ratings" of entries for value, and ... well, that's why I'm still
working on the data entry format.

= Progress =

I have a preliminary format, but it's very, very preliminary. So this is still
in "early phase 1."

= What do you Think? =

Would you use this? Would you contribute? Do you think it's a good idea, or
the dumbest thing you've ever heard? Am I being redundant with an existing
project? Do you know of any reason phase 2 would fail, making this pointless
right off the bat?
Let me know, thanks.

-- 
--silver Harloe-- http://www.silverchat.com/~silver (updated May 5, 1999)
  "I am the soul of honor, kindness, mercy, and goodness.
     Trust me in all things."