Ok not certain if this should remain on the LAU list or not at this point, I will keep posting to it but if people want me to respond off list as this gets more into web design I suppose I will do so.
Also keep in mind that even though I may make suggestions I also realise that others may disagree and have every right to, and just because I suggest these things doesn't mean that I think it is wrong if they don't do it... if that makes sense.
Maybe it is just me, but I would think that having those links logically laid out on a page with the recent news(RSS feeds or whatever) and possibly emphasizing the link to general information for newcomers that doesn't really exist yet. Right now the 'portal' has a few links, but really isn't a good starting point for everything linux audio for newcomers or those interested. Combine it with the news page in a logical way IMO.
1. A centralized basic information about all applications (wiki already in existance, good start)
http://apps.linuxaudio.org has all apps that have been a part of Dave's website. They can be also sorted according to jack/ladspa/whatever support and entries are open to community contributions. There were a number of people here very vocal how they would not contribute to a wiki that was password protected. Well, it hasn been open access since its introduction little over a year ago, yet we had little or no contributions since. It would be nice if we would be as determined about our contributions as we are about our preferences, no?
2. A centralized repository of general linux audio information(ie What is realtime, why/when should you use it, FAQs etc.)
http://lowlatency.linuxaudio.org/ (yes, it could be much better, volunteers are always welcome)
3. A centralized place to go for announcements from all projects at once...
- This would likely entail using a RSS feeds for all members of the linuxaudio consortium, and subscribing to those feeds to be displayed on the news page. I am sure there is a better way, but this is what sticks out to me at the moment, filtering of the announcements might be necessary. I suppose another option would be to utilize the linux-audio-announce mailing list instead so as to have a natural filter preventing things like general informational posts.
Linuxaudio.org main page has RSS feeds.
It has improved since the last time I looked at it I think, I just took another look and noticed I was slightly out of date there, this is indeed close to what i was looking for. Now integration would be the next step.
4. I am not against a centralized forum either, however I think app specific forums and websites are still a good thing, which leads to the next point couple of points...
5. Tight integration between all of the above. On the wiki we have links to the forums for those peices of software, or from the FAQ/Info sections links to the forums, or from the Forums to the wikis, with the news announcements a link to the wiki for the software the announcement is about, etc.
This is in progress but again, most of the work you've seen so far has been the fruit of maybe half-dozen people including myself.
Don't get me wrong, I am certainly not complaining that things are going to slow or anything of that nature, just making random suggestions based on my personal observations.
6. A single login for linuxaudio... And I don't just mean linuxaudio.org, but all member projects if possible. This is the one most difficult to implement, and probably most contreversial, but would allay some of the problems that Dave and others have, which is having to sign up for hundreds of forums with logins to remember etc. Having one place to go for that would be great. This could tie into the centralized forums, by having direct links to each of the projects individual forums, if applicable, and auto-login. OpenID is making good strides in this area, but as I mentioned I do expect this to be the most contreversial of my suggestions I suppose, along with still being the most difficult to implement.
See above. Some users complain about having to log in so we left it open for the sake of greatest possible target audience.
Yes but I think you took this a bit different than I intended. While it could apply to the wiki, I was thinking about applying to the forum if/when it gets implemented as well as if at all possible being able to use the linuxaudio login on other sites like Ardour's forum, or something of that nature. It would require agreement from all webmasters as well as a vast amount of trust, which is why I was mentioning it as being the most contreversial I think.
Best wishes,
Same to you;)
Seablade
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