Nicolas VIGNERON, 11/10/2017 20:32:
should we try to integrate WSexport functionalities into more general tool? (for the second option, we need to exchange about our specific needs and desires).
This was already done with mwlib for ZIM and EPUB, but then WMF trashed it. Three years ago we were told "ePUB and ZIM are likely to return", now how much do you believe PDFs will ever work again? https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikitech-ambassadors/2014-September/00... https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T97672 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T73660
The Italian Wikisource users have used PDF exports nonetheless for a few things, although they are not as useful as the ZIM exports. Please don't rely on assumptions about uselessness of something for you to decide that it's fine to make that something worse.
Federico
Dear friends,
We use mediawiki to host teacher education resources for sub-Saharan Africa, see http://oer.educ.cam.ac.uk/wiki/OER4Schools. The teacher programme has had a wide impact, but on the technical side, we really struggle to maintain the site, especially with regard to export to PDF/ePub/ZIM. We've had some expert help some yeas ago from Emmanuel and a WMUK grant, and made some progress, but esp. the PDF export wasn't really ready for prime-time.
We would really appreciate a suite of tools that was well integrated into mediawiki, being able to produce good clean XML/HTML5 (per page), PDF/ePub/ZIM (ideally respecting the various 'hooks'). In fact, we're quite desperate to make progress on this, as we have a new programme starting in Zimbawe. Often it's said that Wikipedia/CC has a 'global reach'. However, we look at the 'legal freedom' (CC licensing, which gives "global legal freedom') vs. the 'technological freedom', the ability to export etc. Yes, "no connectivity" is very slowly disappearing, bu this isn't the issue: Connectivity remains expensive, intermittent, and slow for a large part of the planet, so "technological freedom" often remains elusive - many thanks to e.g. the Kiwix team working on such issues.
We do work in SSA day-to-day, and we'd also love for somebody to work with us to look at our requirements, and see whether they could feed into the overall requirements. If there's any way in which we can engage with those processes at WMF or elsewhere, we'd be very happy to do so.
Looking forward to your thoughts! Bjoern
On 6 December 2017 at 11:28, Federico Leva (Nemo) nemowiki@gmail.com wrote:
Nicolas VIGNERON, 11/10/2017 20:32:
should we try to integrate WSexport functionalities into more general tool? (for the second option, we need to exchange about our specific needs and desires).
This was already done with mwlib for ZIM and EPUB, but then WMF trashed it. Three years ago we were told "ePUB and ZIM are likely to return", now how much do you believe PDFs will ever work again? https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikitech-ambassadors/ 2014-September/000958.html https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T97672 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T73660
The Italian Wikisource users have used PDF exports nonetheless for a few things, although they are not as useful as the ZIM exports. Please don't rely on assumptions about uselessness of something for you to decide that it's fine to make that something worse.
Federico
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