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

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

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.

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