[kde-edu]: kvtml is a begin, but it can be better: flashcard/dictionary file standardisation for the whole desktop

[Sander Devrieze]

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Op vrijdag 21 mei 2004 02:11, schreef Anne-Marie Mahfouf:
> Hi,
>
> Having a look at your wiki I see that the formats actually used now are:
> kvtml, xml and ASCII
> kvtml is a xml subset and we plan to improve it now that KWordQuiz replaces
> FlashKard in kdeedu.
>
> So from my point of view, why not make kvtml the standard you propose if no
> other de-facto standard exists.

To me that seems ok, but it's better to also give the authors of applications 
that don't use kvtml as standard their voice in the standardisation process:
o they mabe also have good ideas that aren't in kvtml
o they are in the weak position because they have to implement it from zero 
afterwards while applications that already supports kvtml don't have to
o they maybe don't like the "k" in the name

> If you think that such a format can be made standard by being published on
> freedesktop.org, then yes! Could you think of someone acting as coordinator
> in this?

No sorry, but I thaught that maybe some of the people already involved in such 
applications would be the best suited for this....so I emailed to this 
list ;-)

> The problem is that in KDE-Edu we have many ideas but not many people to
> implement them.

I know.

> I for myself has enough work to do by managing the project 
> and I cannot extend my commitment to this.
>
> I note that you also made wishes for other edu applications (like
> integrating KHangMan closer with KWordQuiz) so why don't you act as
> coordinator for that sort of things? (better integration between different
> programs, having standards, contacting fellow edu developers,...).

I would like to do that if I had time:
* no time (studies, other hobbies, other KDE related things, Jabber-related 
stuff,...) at the moment
* no knowledge yet of any programming language (I planned to learn some 
someday already 4 years ago, but I think it will takes at *least* 2 years 
more because of other hobbies/studies :D )
...which makes that it will takes a long time before I can actually start with 
it :(

Besides that I am convinced that it's better that the standardisation is done 
by people who knows much about the internal working of flashcard applications 
(for which I am 100% sure I have not this profile ;) ).

(remark: And if KDE people takes the initiative; I think it will be easier for 
them to implement the standard afterwards than if people from other projects 
makes some standard that is completely different from kvtml...)

> Practically, I think that would mean talking with the KDE developers for
> setting adequate goals (3.3 is too soon so 4.0 it will be), setting up a
> webpage on edu.kde.org with objectives, links, ...., contacting the
> freedesktop people and maintaining a webpage here and contacting other
> projects.
> We need someone to do this if we want to make progress (someone who is not
> me ;)
>
> On the same sort of ideas, I have been contacted a while ago by the
> TuxPaint author and the GCompris author who want also to share pics and
> data from their progs (like the stamps from TuxPaint for example) (thus
> making a standard way of using data). I did not have time to follow this
> closely but this is related to your idea. I'll pass on all the relevant
> information.
>
> So here we need people who are not developers but willing to help the
> project!
>
> Please come forward if you're interesting in contributing that way!

Though I'm not suited/have time for being coordinator, I'm interested in 
giving feedback from my user point of view (features that I would like eg). 
And maybe also contributing/porting some files in the new standard ;-)

- -- 
Mvg, Sander Devrieze.

JabberID: sander at l4l.be -- ( http://jabber.l4l.be/ )
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