•For about five years now I've been wanting to create a collaborative web-based writing tool. My background is in software development on small and medium-sized teams. As you know this involves a great deal of planning, with frequent changes to the team's goal, priorities, and decisions. Good communication is essential in such environments.xxxI've longed for an online tool that can help people communicate more effectively. Creating a collaborative outliner is the first step in this pursuit.
•Old ideasAs you know, outlining is a tired old concept in the software business. Its biggest successes are in word processors and personal information managers. (Contrasted with groups managing information.)
And, the idea of collaborative writing tools is trying to take off in various forms. Take note of Xanadu, various technologies for message boards, wikis, weblogging, user tracking functionality in word processors, etc.
6New medium(4)The two ideas of collaborative outlining and outlining on the web have been discussed ad nauseum. Just a miniscule sampling:
•Software evaulationResearched whether I could improve project communication by using existing tools. Came up dissatisfied.
•Schema designStarting drafting database schemas for online discussion systems.
•1998-2000Discussed the topic with friends and collegues, trying to see whether my ideas had any merit.
•Finally got decent buy-in from someone who likes to organize information and runs complex projects where efficient communication is essential. Was encouraged enough to begin work on a prototype. http://lyon.gayin.net/
•March 2001Made significant headway in my R&D effort.
•October 2001-presentStarted doing more product research, looking at what features are available in existing products, and what niches are not yet filled.
•March 2002Started a complete product rewrite in ASP.NET.
•November 2002Deployed an Alpha version of the product; still rounding out functionality today.
•October 2010Working on updated version of the outliner for HTML 5. Nearly universal support for editing outlines in the browser, with the widespread adoption of CONTENTEDITABLE.
6Browser-based outliner(5)My original prototype allowed users to edit lists of lists, one list at a time. This version is a respectable outliner.
•Heavy focus on ease-of-use
•Edit using IE 5.5 and above
•Read using recent-version browsersMust support current standards for W3C DOM and CSS.
•Performs well over DSL connections
•Quite usable over a dialup
6Basic user account registration and maintenance(5)A minimal set of user account features have been created, refined, and tested. Some of these features are currently hidden, but they'll be back live next week.
•Identity confirmation through e-mail
•Register with multiple e-mail addresses
•Change password
•sn
•Lost password
•Content permissionsUsers may control how their information is shared with others. Still working on user permission UI, but the backend is working.
•Unicode, through and throughMake no mistake. This outliner handles Kanji and Cyrillic just as well as Latin characters.
•Database is either Access or SQL ServerAccess might be useful for client-side installations. The system performs well on Access, so long as the database stays around ~10's of MB rather than 100 or more.
•To read outlines, use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or OperaWebkit now properly handles Webdings This bug was a sore point for me for years--my expand and contract arrows are Webdings rather than images to allow entire webpages to be saved off for offline access. Now Webkit is fixed. Nice!
•To edit outlines, use Internet Explorer for WindowsCross-browser editing is within reach. Just a few DOM bugs to fix, I;m hoping.
4Productivity increase is noticeable(10)I've been using the product between myself and one other person, with a noticeable increase in productivity. We like it a lot.
6Plenty of work remaining to get from Alpha to Beta(15)Lot of stuff to work on yet: We're still working out bugs, usability still needs refinement, key features are missing, and we have a list of features we'd like to have.
•Consult for companies that need such technology in their products
•Give it away to developers to integrate into their products
•Keep it a hobby, and move on
•Looking for honest, real-life perspectives from othersSo, what recommendations do you have? What have you gained in your experience that applies to our situation?
•a.Replace berths with CPO modular berths with privacy partitions and berth curtains arranged in six-person cubicles, as practical, with ten percent long berths. Total number of new berths shall be equal to or exceed the existing berthing and as a min
•b.Redistribute air supply terminals to provide overhead diffusers within each berth cubicle.
•c.Provide lockers for stowage of clothing and personal effects to meet or exceed minimums required per accommodations. For CPO (E7-E9) provide 14 cubic feet of locker space, 18 inches hanging space, 2 cubic feet seabag stowage and 0.75 cubic feet of
•d.Redistribute overhead lighting to conform to new arrangements. Provide one berth light per accommodation and mirror lights as required.
•e.Replace deck covering.
•f.Replace any damaged insulation.
•g.Paint bulkheads and overheads.
•h.Provide a means of secondary egress if one does not exist and berthing capacity exceeds 21 personnel.
•i.Provide recreation/lounge area in berthing compartments segregated from sleeping area with metal joiner bulkhead, if total bunk count and locker cubage meets minimum requirements. As a minimum for CPO (E7-E9) provide one seat and writing space for
•j.Provide storage for iron and ironing board.
•k.Provide bulletin boards, watch-quarter boards and mirrors.