FW: omf faq

[Gregory Leblanc <GLeblanc cu-portland edu>]

Just got this via the OMF mailing list, and I thought that I'd forward it
on.  Hopefully a few more of the links are fixed today than were the other
day, but I haven't check yet.  Later,
	Greg

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Ray [mailto:jimray@metalab.unc.edu]
> Sent: Friday, June 16, 2000 12:46 PM
> To: LDP-Meta
> Subject: omf faq
> 
> 
> This is the preliminary, alfa vershion of the FAQ for the Open Source
> Metadata Framework.  Check out the new pages at 
> metalab.unc.edu/osrt/omf
> 
> btw-I'm Jim Ray, the guy that's kind of taking over the omf stuff from
> Miles Efron.  I haven't really done anything yet except give 
> everything
> a pretty face and written some documentation.  Please feel 
> free to give
> my your opinion about anything on the site.  thanks.
> 
> 
> The Open Source Metadata FAQ
> 
> 1. What is the Open Source Metadata Framework?
> The Open Source Metadata Framework (which will be referred to 
> as the OMF
> from here on out) is a way to describe data (met
> adata == data that describes data), namely Open Source documentation. 
> The goal is to establish a framework that describe
> s Open Source documentation, in essence to create a sophisticated card
> catalogue system of Open Source docs. The incredib
> le thing about the OMF is that it can describe all kinds of
> documentation, not just specific projects, such as the Linux
> Documentation Project.  In addition, the OMF can be used for projects
> all over the world, in any format imaginable.  It i
> s important to understand that the OMF merely acts as a pointer to
> various Open Source documentation projects, and does n
> ot aim to collect documentation.
> 
> 2. Well, if the OMF is just pointing to other work, why would 
> I want to
> use it?
> The amount of Open Source documentation has grown tremendously and
> various projects exist all over the world.  Examples i
> nclude the Linux documentation project (linuxdoc.org), the Gnome
> documentation project (gnome.org/gdp/) and the FreeBSD h
> andbook (freebsd.org/handbook/).  The OMF aims to provide a 
> centralized
> location for searching a variety of different doc
> umentation projects to find the right information for a given need.  A
> user can search the OMF, which will then point the
> m to the correct location for the actual documentation that they are
> looking for.
> 
> 3. How flexible is the OMF?
> One of the chief goals of the project is to make it as flexible as
> possible, and yet allow the metadata to be shared with
>  anyone who wants it.  Metadata stored in the OMF database 
> can describe
> nearly any kind of resource, be it plain text, au
> dio, video, or formats not yet envisioned.  The metadata 
> itself is kept
> in plaintext XML files, which are fully open to t
> he public.  Because the metadata is based on XML and Dublin Core
> standards, it can be used in a variety of applications.
> 
> 
> 4. I'm an Open Source documentation contributer.  How do generate
> metadata about my project?
> The OMF, much like every other documentation project, relies on
> volunteer contributions.  If you are developing Open Sour
> ce documentation or contributing to a project, please use the template
> form to generate the necessary metadata about your
>  project.  This will allow other users to search for and locate the
> documentation that you have worked so hard on!
> 
> 5. I still have questions.  Who do I contact to answer them?
> You need to talk to the omf guru, email this illustrious person here.
> 
> 
>  
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> ------------
> Jim Ray					     Content 
> Manager, Fifth Estate
> jimray@metalab.unc.edu			     		
> metalab.unc.edu/5e
> 
> "If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know." -Louis Armstrong
> 
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