Thanks all for the information. The documentations on the MediaWiki are in good shape. The pages are editable and logically organized containing rich contents and graphics. There are already some topics in WIKI format. We might convert some useful pages in the existing product help to the MediaWIKI console programmatically. Increasingly videos on different systems would need test. Especially on MAC OS.
For Rob's questions: 1) Can we make OpenOffice read and write DITA? So use a familiar editing tool (OpenOffice) but have it understand DITA. Advantage: Reuse existing Symphony content directly. Familiar authoring environment for documentation writers. Disadvantage: Would require development work to enable OpenOffice to read/write DITA. (But this would also be a wonderful feature for other users as well, since DITA is an industry standard format for technical writing) [Betsy]: If dev volunteers have enthumsiasm and bandwidth to cover that, that would be great. 2) Can we convert the existing Symphony documentation into ODF format, so it can be maintained in OpenOffice? Advantage: We use familiar authoring environment, OpenOffice Disadvantage: By moving away from DITA we lose some of the capabilities to transform into other formats easily. [Betsy]: The function entries in Symphony301 are different with the AOO. Symphony has an Eclipse framework, so if would like to use Symphony help as a base, there would be a lot of work to make the functions entries consistent with the C++ AOO program. Would also need effort to investigate how to convert DITA to ODF, the corrent IDWB would generate XHTML, PDF, deployable DITA. 3) Can we support a hybrid solution where we have both DITA doc and existing OOo doc, but unify things at publication time, by all targeting the same output formats, like PDF and HTML Advantage: Least amount of change required Disadvantage: Complexity, greater difficulty in maintaining uniform presentation styles on output [Betsy]: This sounds like a plan. If the convertor can be enhanced, It would be easy to change XHP to DITA. Writers are editing for xhp format and can convert them to DITA later. Also we would like to have a hybrid solution to have both WIKI help and OOo doc. How to sync up these two format would be a question. Might need a process on it. On Sat, Mar 17, 2012 at 10:49 PM, Regina Henschel <rb.hensc...@t-online.de>wrote: > Hi all, > Jingbai schrieb: > > In Symphony, 1) the editing env is a tool called ID workbench for >> editing Dita files 2) Documentation source file format is Dita 3) >> Help files published on two places On IEHS(IBM Eclipse Help system ) >> together with the product in Eclipse framework as the offline >> version On Wiki system as the online version. I think for AOO, we >> could create docs in the products as before and import to Wiki as >> well. It is essential to let the help files be accessible though the >> internet or google searched and getting comments directly The thing >> is we do not have to use a complex editing env or file format so that >> we could avoid to create the technical barrier for volunteers. Need >> to learn more about the Apache supported Wiki system requirement to >> let the editing env as simple as possible. Thoughts? >> > > In addition to Robs links I like to show you another example to > demonstrate the needed features to write formulas and insert graphics. > http://wiki.services.**openoffice.org/wiki/**Documentation/How_Tos/Calc:_* > *CHISQDIST_function<http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Documentation/How_Tos/Calc:_CHISQDIST_function> > > And another point: Online guides use increasingly videos. How good are > those supported with the different systems? > > Kind regards > Regina > > >
