josh said:
>   You can't just generate a list of "fixes" and
>   hand it off to someone else to do the hard work.

well first, it _is_ acceptable -- and _perfectly_ so --
for a person to submit a simple report of an error
(or even a complex report of thousands of errors)
without generating all the "corrected" files themself.

indeed, i'd guess _most_ error-reports are just that.
(and surely, for someone who might find one typo,
you don't want to receive a full set of files from them,
you just want 'em to tell you where the typo is located.)

but even aside from that, josh, don't split hairs.

i could hand the whitewashers "a list of fixes"
_and_ updated files _and_ complete changelogs
_and_ the program i used to complete the task,
which they could continue to use in the future
to check new files to ensure they're consistent.

and those whitewashers _still_ couldn't process
thousands of updated e-texts in one fell swoop,
not under their present updating policy, which
calls for them to run through all their checks to
move an e-text to the new directory structure...

which was my point.  didn't you get it?

meanwhile, i can generate the new files _myself_
-- without the hassle of an obtuse workflow --
and host a library that _does_ have consistency,
with files up and available as soon as they're fixed.


>   YOU need to do the work
>   if it is something you feel needs to be done.

i don't care if project gutenberg's e-texts
have their inconsistencies removed or not.

i _do_ want a library that's free of inconsistencies,
but i anticipate i will have to remove them myself.
and i have no issues with doing that, as i have said.

this is completely different, however, from drawing
your attention to the fact of these inconsistencies,
and raising your awareness of troubles they cause.

in other words, i am doing y'all a great big favor by
pointing out a deficiency in your output that could
be corrected with a minimum of effort on your part,
but would _greatly_ increase the value of your output.

the only problem is, y'all would rather take offense
than take a simple look at a problem in your methods.

but again, if i am wrong on this, and the whitewashers
will implement wholesale changes to get consistency,
and make a commitment to ensure future consistency,
then i _certainly_ hope someone will say that directly...

-bowerbird