posted on: comp.lang.python emailed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have a suggestion/request that will, I think, improve the Python documentation.
Currently, the Python documentation in HTML format is stored at URLs that change with each new release of Python. That is, for example, the documentation for the os module is at http://python.org/doc/2.3/lib/module-os.html for release 2.3 of Python, at http://python.org/doc/2.4/lib/module-os.html for release 2.4 and so on. I propose that an additional a URL be set up for the Python HTML documentation. This URL will always contain the current version of the documentation. Suppose we call it "current". Then (while 2.4 is still the current version) the documentation for the os module would also be available at http://python.org/doc/current/lib/module-os.html. There are three advantages to this proposal. (1) It is cheap and easy to do. (2) If a person regularly refers to the documentation for the os module, he can bookmark http://python.org/doc/current/lib/module-os.html and always be sure of getting the most current version. (3) This would give Pythonistas -- basically as a freebie -- annotatable documentation. You may be familiar with Wikalong ( http://www.wikalong.org/ ). Wikalong basically allows you to annotate any URL. If we had a "current" URL for Python documentation, people could add Wikalong notes to the current documentation without worrying that the annotations would not survive the release of the next version of Python. Being able to use Wikalong would provide the Python community with the opportunity to experiment with annotatable documents (not to mention, ride the leading edge of the Wikalong wave). And those who dislike annotated documentation can easily ignore it or turn it off the Wikalong sidebar (assuming that they have Wikalong installed in the first place). -- Steve Ferg -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
