This exercise with Al's errata sheet turns out to be a useful context for thinking about the difference between thinking about the problem from the reader's point of view and thinking about it from a programmer's point of view. Here a reader spent a bunch of time documenting changes he felt should be made to the text, and then, *in his own words, from his own point of* *view*, he described what the correction should accomplish. Note that he doesn't mention checking out anything. He doesn't mention versions. He tells us a) where the problem is located in the text by page, b) a line or two of context; b) what it says now; and c) what it should say. Which when you think about it is probably a pretty good description of how the user interface could work that would be simple, precise, and provide the feeling to the user that, yes, they can handle this. It should be possible to display the current PG text, allow them to browse to the position of interest, display an edit box with the general area, allow them to make the proposed correction, click "Submit", and display the text as it would then appear to give them closure and complete the transaction. I'm not sure where in there one would find a requirement for a version control system. Certainly not as the starting point for a design discussion. Don On Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 6:54 PM, Al Haines <ajhaines@shaw.ca> wrote:
Here's the error report on PG#3441. I'm assuming the Locations and Pages are peculiar to the reporter's ereader device, whatever it is. It's quite possible that some of the reporter's proposed corrections may themselves be incorrect.
Location 126 (Page 1)
returned to the city and despatched thence provaunt land henchmen
change "land" to "and"
returned to the city and despatched thence provaunt and henchmen
Location 130 (Page 1)
numbered them and found them thirty-thousand horse and ten thousand foot.[FN#2] So, needing more, he levied other fifty- thousand men, cavalry and infantry, and taking horse amid a
Do not hyphenate "fifty thousand" and "thirty thousand"
numbered them and found them thirty thousand horse and ten thousand foot.[FN#2] So, needing more, he levied other fifty thousand men, cavalry and infantry, and taking horse amid a
Location 153 (page 3)
they leave fighting till the day darkened and the night starkened Then clashed the cymbals of retreat and the two hosts drew apart
There should be a period after "starkened".
they leave fighting till the day darkened and the night starkened. Then clashed the cymbals of retreat and the two hosts drew apart