Reorganisation of Moodle.org

Reorganisation of Moodle.org

by Martin Dougiamas -
Number of replies: 12
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers
Stuff in here is currently all over the place, I know, and only getting worse as the traffic increases (we just hit 1000 regular participants, yay!).

The "big plans" I've alluded to here and here are basically these:

- extend discussions in the forum module to allow multiple scales at the discussion level, so that discussions can be assigned values. Also, proper sorting and paging will be added. This will allow discussions to be tracked (graded) and sorted and thus effectively do what the bug tracker does.

- create a forum for each module

- sort existing discussions into these new forums

- create new discussions for all the relevant bugs in the old bug tracker

At that point everything will be in one place and logical, and the old bug tracker is history. Bug reports, feature requests and help requests can all be categorised and sorted neatly.

Now if I could just get some blocks of more than ten minutes devlelopment time in a row! big grin
Average of ratings: Useful (1)
In reply to Martin Dougiamas

Re: Reorganisation of Moodle.org

by Gustav W Delius -
Getting rid of the separate bug tracker sounds like a good idea. However the bug tracker has one feature that the forum module is so far missing: it is possible to subscribe to receive emails about one particular bug. Similarly it should be possible to subscribe to an individual thread.
Average of ratings: Useful (1)
In reply to Gustav W Delius

Banish the Bugtracker

by Timothy Takemoto -

I agree with Martin and Gustave.

We need to have more control over which forums/threads that we subscribe to. The volume of mail from the moodle forums is getting to be massive. This is a problem for the recipients and posters: knowing that everyone that has ever written to this same forum will get a notification of this post makes it difficult to send posts like this. 

And Banish the Bugtracker!

1) Martin is quite clear, in the descriptions of the forums, that new features requests should be limited to the bug tracker. All the same, since there is great demand to talk about new features, people (including myself, sinner that I am) are posting features requests to the forums. Keeping new features request to the bug tracker is, by popular demand, a rule that cannot be enforced. But why?

2) By not banishing new feature requests to the bug tracker development will be encouraged, and pluralised. The bug tracker, if you look at it, ends up being a dialogue, or a monologue, between the bug submitter (often Martin) and Martin. If new features are allowed to be posted here then other developers (E.g. Tom Robb and Chris U) have been generous enough to respond (truly wonderful, thank you). Developers registered on the bug tracker do the same, no doubt, but the number of developers is greatly limited.

3) By merging bug reports and new features requests in somethign called a "bug tracker" it makes it sound like feature requests are bugs, which they are not at all, they are humble requests. It took me 6 months to gain the confidence to presume to report my request as a "bug." I think that there should be a great clamouring of features requests, it should be the easiest thing to do (and to ignore) so as to give direction and impetuts to development.

4) By having feature requests on the bug tracker it makes it difficult to disscuss them and by discussing them we might reallise that we do not need them at all, that there is a hack, or another way of doing thigs.

5) The bug tracker requires an extra password (that cannot be changed?) makes it more difficult to take part in disscussion that take place there. In fact there is very little discussion. Why is conversation on the bug tracker so terse? What is it about that buggy bug tracker atmostphere?

6) The wonderous, new (but sadly under-used) "rate this post" feature, which is in someplaces but not others, could take the place of "vote for this bug."

And, ending with a forbidden features request, it would be nice if features votes made threads change colour, to pink and red etc, like important bugs on the bug tracker, except more diplomatically.

Wiki faqs would be nice too but, they would need administrators if they are not to become forums.

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In reply to Martin Dougiamas

Re: Reorganisation of Moodle.org

by Ger Tielemans -
Maybe summarize the current forum content in FAQ-files and place these files on the top of the new forum of their topics. (advice to new users: look first in the FAQ before you ask)
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In reply to Ger Tielemans

Re: Reorganisation of Moodle.org

by David Delgado -
I do agree in mantaining a FAQ per main forums. The problem is who will maintain it. I think the best way would be creating Wiki FAQs. Do you agree?

On other hand, Martin, could put an example on what you mean by "extend discussions in the forum module to allow multiple scales at the discussion level, so that discussions can be assigned values. Also, proper sorting and paging will be added. This will allow discussions to be tracked (graded) and sorted and thus effectively do what the bug tracker does." I am afraid I could not make a real idea of what if means.
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In reply to David Delgado

Re: Reorganisation of Moodle.org

by John Gone -
Good points gentlemen. WikiFAQ is a good idea David. Everyone maintains it. Martin is also aware of the need for better documentation. I'm thinking maybe two levels of FAQ
Basic (for installation related)
Advanced

What does everyone else think?
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In reply to John Gone

Re: Reorganisation of Moodle.org

by Ger Tielemans -

Well, if we start a WikiFAQ, then persons good in a Topic could become moderator of a topic-subtree: To give an example.

We try to connect Moodle to our local Novell/LDAP

I type LDAP and Novell in the forum search box and only find snippets of a discussion: going to the threads is very time-consuming and leads seldom to the answer of my question.

I still do not know what goes wrong in our Linux/Novell/LDAP so scream HELP!? in a new forum?

-0-0-0-

  • Someone with knowledge of LDAP in Moodle could start a LDAP subtree.
  • Of course he/she only has detail knowledge of his/here own implementation.
  • He/she could ask people with other combinations to append the settings for their situation.
  • A topic-forum could serve the discussion inside the LDAP group: the particpants BUT ALSO reading outsiders could comment on the proposals
  • The result moves to the FAQ.

On the moment the LDAP pages seam ready:

  • The forum can die
  • The wiki pages can be locked
  • Instead of collaborative editing of the pages you put a questionbox on every page of this subtree LDAPWiki.
  • The moderator gets an automatic eMail with a link to a page when someone places a comment or question in the box on that page.

I use a standalone Wiki (Swiki from Squeak) this way, but would prefer a php-version that works as simple as this Swiki: now I (= in fact our system manager) have to run an extra server-process for this Swiki.

P.S. I Am Not a technical guy, so I only mock-up interface pages. So I only can help a little on the "wish" pages for educational settings.

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In reply to David Delgado

Re: Reorganisation of Moodle.org

by Martin Dougiamas -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers
The idea was that the teacher can add several scales to the forum (much like the current post ratings), except these are applied to WHOLE discussions. eg the discussion would be rated on several scales at once.

However, I'm currently tending back to the tracker as a separate module again (not an extension of forums, so that there is more freedom). I think I've flip-flopped on this decision about 5 times now.
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In reply to Martin Dougiamas

Re: Reorganisation of Moodle.org

by John Gone -
It's an inherently flip-floppable topic smile
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In reply to Martin Dougiamas

Re: Reorganisation of Moodle.org

by Ger Tielemans -
Why not offer the user the choice? (a switch? kind of flip-flop?)
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In reply to Martin Dougiamas

Re: Reorganisation of Moodle.org

by John Gone -
Hi Martin.
I just explored the site as a guest user to get a feel for what it's like to find things in here as a new user. The layout seems to work well. The basics are visible when you enter the site and it's easy to find everything. It's definitely a different perspective logging in as a guest user. Looks good.
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