[FM Discuss] the booki vision so far

Fri Sep 11 15:49:29 PDT 2009

What will be the capabilities for embedding software in a
user-friendly scripting language, or calling and controlling external
software? We can, of course, use live http and other URLs in a PDF,
but what if I want to call a program in Etoys Smalltalk, Python,
UCBLogo, a symbolic or numeric math program, a macro-driven
spreadsheet, or anything else?

On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 8:34 AM, adam hyde <adam at flossmanuals.net> wrote:
> hi,
>
> I am actively pursuing more leads for funding for the Booki development.
> Below is a text describing the vision. I want to trim this down to a
> short doc so I can easily ship it off to anyone interested. So, the
> below is source material, any comments welcomed.
>
> -----
>
> Booki is a revolution in publishing. Booki is based on
> functionality we have already created for FLOSS Manuals, but reworks the
> underlying architecture, and extends to features we cannot achieve with
> our current website. We have the experience already in developing a lot
> of the functionality required. We know how to develop book formatted PDF
> with bi-directional text and Unicode support, we know how to build
> systems to track copyright attributions, we have built our own web-IRC
> gateways, but most importantly we know what features work and what don't
> work for this kind of environment.
>
> Now we need to take the lessons learned and develop a Free Software with
> Collaborative Authoring and Book Sprint requirements embedded in the
> core of its design. This does not mean rewriting FLOSS Manuals, it means
> designing a new software paradigmn and re-imagining Publishing.
>
> ** Re-imagining Publishing
> Creating reusable repositories of books and dispelling the myth of sole
> authorship is simultaneously a disruptive challenge to the publishing
> industry as well as a productive environment for collaboratively
> creating many wonderful new books. This is our goal for Booki.
>
> In doing this Booki changes accepted methods of publishing. Unlike
> current publishing models, Booki does not consider authors as isolated
> producers. Booki facilitates collaborative production through simple and
> effective writing and book management tools. The Booki interface is
> designed around the authors and their needs to write, to discuss their
> views, to seek assistance with partner writers, to translate and reuse
> content. Using a platform like this you can collaborate to produce very
> high quality content, very quickly. In this type of environment we have
> written, and you can write, a high quality book in 2 days with people
> you may never meet. This already sounds very distant from traditional
> publishing methods.
>
> However, Booki also accelerates the production cycle of print-ready
> sources. In Booki print-ready source (book formatted PDF) is generated
> on the server in a matter of minutes. If you update the book then you
> can very quickly output another book-formatted PDF. Standard industry
> production processes cannot compete with this pace.
>
> Booki also changes the ways books are designed. Booki changes the method
> of design from the proprietary Indesign 'industry standard' to the CSS
> open standard. In Booki, the design of book formatted PDF is controlled
> with CSS – bringing book design to the web literate. If you know CSS you
> can change the style your book.
>
> Booki also challenges the traditional publishing view on reuse, and
> posits the idea that books can always be improved. Hence books should
> always be reusable. Booki uses open content licenses by default which
> partially assists reuse. However without a repository of content and a
> technical process for managing reuse, content won't often be reused
> regardless of the license. Booki makes reuse easy by technically
> facilitating the forking, updating, improving, remixing, rewriting,
> recontextualisation, and translation of books.
>
> Translation is an especially interesting case of reuse. Where the
> traditional publishing industry cannot easily translate content due to
> its restrictive licensing and contractual requirements, Booki encourages
> and facilitates translation wherever possible. Booki provides
> translation tools to ease the migration of books across language
> boundaries. However translation is not the only language feature of
> Booki. Booki also places a high value on the production of original
> content in any language. For this reason Booki is designed to be easily
> localised by integrating the Pootle localisation platform into its
> architecture. This means anyone can translate the Booki interface to
> assist with the production of content in any language.
>
> Translation, reuse and republishing on this scale also challenges other
> legacy publishing concepts, notably 'Editions'. 'Editions' no longer
> make sense when books can easily and quickly be forked, translated,
> updated and republished. This is because in the publishing industry
> (costly) ISBN numbers are linked to Edition numbers. It is impractical
> to utilise ISBN in this new environment because books can be updated and
> re-released as quickly as software. So 'Edition' is no longer a suitable
> concept. Since the development of books in Booki better mirrors Open
> Source development  models we prefer to talk of Versions instead of
> Editions. Hence Booki requires a different vocabulary so as to
> differentiate the Booki publishing model from traditional publishing
> processes.
>
> Actually Booki makes bolder challenges to what a book is. Booki is
> really a platform for the collaborative development of Comprehensive
> Texts, one output of which is books. However Booki can output your text
> to multiple formats, opening the door to RSS syndication, ebook
> distribution, or any other format for the distribution on offline or
> online media. Booki helps comprehensive texts move fluidly through
> different media. However, 'comprehensive text' is too wordy and so we
> still use the term 'book', but perhaps more liberally than traditional
> publishers.
>
> Although built to support Collaborative Authoring and Book Sprints you
> can use Booki to write a book by yourself over a longer period of time.
> You can also install your own version of Booki for your own use, or
> share an  existing installation. Whichever strategy you take;
> collaborating, writing in solo, rapidly developing books, or taking your
> time - when you have worked with Booki you will never think of
> publishing the same way again.
>
>
>
> adam
>
>
>
> --
> Adam Hyde
> Founder FLOSS Manuals
> German mobile : + 49 15 2230 54563
> Email : adam at flossmanuals.net
> irc: irc.freenode.net #flossmanuals
>
> "Free manuals for free software"
> http://www.flossmanuals.net/about
>
>
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Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
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