Non KDE urls in KDE programs

[Ian Wadham]

Please CC me on any discussion, as I am not a list member.

On Sun, 25 May 2008 01:17 am, Albert Astals Cid wrote:
> Hi, today i came across a text in Kubrick (Rubicks cube kdegame) (made by
> Ian in the CC) that says
>
> The 'Beginner Solution' demonstrated here is from
> www.geocities.com/jasmine_ellen/RubiksCubeSolution.html (see that
> site for a full description and other solution ideas).  Just over
> 100 moves solve a cube that is shuffled in 20.
>
> I'm not really sure that linking to that geocities page is correct.
>
Hmmm ... it's not.  The link is broken now.  I was intending to omit it
and the other link in the same text (see kdegames/kubrick/src/kubrick.cpp)
and replace them with plain text, such as "look in Wikipedia in the 'xxxx'
article", but I forgot, and now the message-freeze has come and gone ...

> Resons:
>  * We don't know who controls that page, it might end up converted in a
> children porno/nazi propaganda/watheverYouHateMore page.
>
True, but rather far-fetched ... sites on non-pop and non-mainstream
topics rarely have such problems ... never, in my experience.

>  * The page might disappear (as it is now, that is down)
>
> So if we feel we really need to provide such a description on how to solve
> the cube i propose to write a similar one and host it in games.kde.org.
>
No, no, no ... Kubrick already contains demos of how to solve the cube
and the text quoted by Albert is part of an introductory message for those
demos, which has some indications on where to look for further information.
I chose the link in question because it was the clearest, for a beginner.
I am sad to see it go.

Also the idea that KDE websites have to become authoritative sources
on every specialist topic that arises in an app is absurd and contrary
to what the web and human knowledge in general is all about, IMHO.

> And why am I mailing to the release team?
>
> I'd want to know which is the opinion of people on having a policy that
> advises against linking to non kde.org links.
>
Unnecessarily restrictive, IMO.

For example, I am thinking, next year, of working on a new KDE Edu
application in science, at an introductory level.  It would require plenty
of links to sites containing further information, at several audience levels.
If this caveat comes into KDE, I might as well forget the whole idea.

> Albert
>
> P.S: You can see page contents on archive.org
> http://web.archive.org/web/20070718183141/peter.stillhq.com/jasmine/rubiksc
>ubesolution.html
>
Thanks Albert, but that copy's diagrams are broken for me ... Pity.  It was
a good site.

All the best, Ian W.