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Must-Have Features

open source
accessible by web API from an external web service
ability to incorporate Ajax
easily extended plugin architecture
can access external web APIs
supports individuals and groups
basic authentication and privacy controls
provides programmatic API for changes to data store, in particular moving and renaming nodes
provides node tagging
provides content and tag searching
able to access external web services

Like-to-Have Features

Java-based (my core programming skills)
Ajax functionality built-in
standardized (?) plugin architecture
rich authentication and privacy controls using "open" identification standards/services
simple to use built-in content management tools
small memory footprint

Anything I'm Missing?

Let me know what you think.

Brian Slesinsky

Posts: 43
Nickname: skybrian
Registered: Sep, 2003

Re: Feedback: Bliki Software

Posted: Dec 1, 2005 10:38 AM

How about ease of use? Unless you have that, none of that other stuff matters.

Dale Asberry

Posts: 161
Nickname: bozomind
Registered: Mar, 2004

Re: Feedback: Bliki Software

Posted: Dec 1, 2005 11:26 AM

true... the unspoken requirement :-)

Jonathan Hager

Posts: 1
Nickname: jhager
Registered: Dec, 2005

Re: Feedback: Bliki Software

Posted: Dec 2, 2005 4:32 PM

All of your "features" aren't features. They are technical requirements but say nothing about what the user (you) is trying to accomplish.

Are you trying to classify and archive sites/rss feeds? Are you trying to create a personal wiki? Are you trying to figure out a better way of storing and searching your notes instead of sorting through a stack of napkins?

I have recently started using OneNote as my "Personal Knowledge Management System". Assuming you have access to a Windows machine, you might investigate what features it has. Although it sounds like your idea of a "Personal Knowledge Management System" may be completely different. I guess that is what happens when you use a corporate speak word like "Knowledge Management"

Tim LS

Posts: 37
Nickname: parchandri
Registered: Jul, 2005

Re: Feedback: Bliki Software

Posted: Dec 3, 2005 4:11 AM

Hm, they sounds nice, but what does the software actually do?

Warren Baird

Posts: 5
Nickname: wjbaird
Registered: Jul, 2005

Re: Feedback: Bliki Software

Posted: Dec 6, 2005 3:05 PM

I'm afraid that looks like a collection of buzz-words to me, not a feature list. If you handed that to me and asked me to implement it, or test it, I'd have *no* idea what it was supposed to do...

I might suggest writing up some use cases - I expect that you have a pretty good idea how this thing is supposed to function - but it isn't being represented well by your list of 11 buzz words...

Some specifics: "accessible by web API from an external web service" -- what would the web APIs let you do? what would you be able to access/manipulate through a web API?

"ability to incorporate Ajax" - I find this confusing... Ajax is basically an implementation detail when you need tight integration between a web page and the server. I don't see how this is a feature itself. Something like "the display of mind maps on the client are updated without the entire page being redrawn" might be a feature/requirement that requires Ajax to implement it...

Kirk Knoernschild

Posts: 46
Nickname: kirkk
Registered: Feb, 2004

Re: Feedback: Bliki Software

Posted: Dec 15, 2005 4:03 PM

I think you are on the mark with many of what I'd be looking for, but I don't fully understand all of your requirements. I'd say definitely the following out of your list:
- Open Source
- rss feeds (Is this what you mean by accessible by web API?)
- easily extended architecture
- rss aggregator (Is this what you mean by can access external Web APIs?)
- authentication, etc...

Plus I'd probably add the following as necessary:
- Ability to easily change skins (UI).
- Easy to administor (install, configure, etc).

There might be more...I'm running late so I'll have to give it some more thought.

I personally don't think Java is the right tool for such a piece of software. The main reason being is that if you want wide adoption, you'll have to cater to the least common denominator of what most ISPs support. Java isn't one of them. I tend to think PHP would work well.

I've done multiple sites using PmWiki (www.pmwiki.com). It certainly has a pluggable architecture and can accommodate much of the above. Plus, it's very easy to setup.

Now I'm really late...You actually bring up another very interesting topic...that of a Personal Knowledge Management Platform. What other utilities do you envision being part of such a platform?

Kirk Knoernschild
www.kirkk.com
www.extensiblejava.com

Eric Armstrong

Posts: 207
Nickname: cooltools
Registered: Apr, 2003

Re: Feedback: Bliki Software

Posted: Jan 27, 2006 6:27 AM

I'll join with the others in requesting a one-paraagraph summary or feature list, to help me understand the intent of your design. To sales folks, "personal knowledge management" means keeping track of phone numbers and anniversaries. For me, it tends to mean knowledge-based system that promote collaboration and data sharing.

What originally promoted to write, though, was your mention of "programmable API for rearranging nodes" and "node tagging". This is an area I've been working in for a while. I may have some thoughts that will be helpful.

When it comes node tagging, for example, there is a need to allow the user to delete categories, combine them, and refine them into specialized sub-categories, and make it possible to apply those changes to everything that is currently categorized. Traction did an exemplary job, in that regard. But whether or not that's helpful to do depends a lot on whether my idea of "node tagging" matches what you have in mind for your application.

Eric Armstrong

Posts: 207
Nickname: cooltools
Registered: Apr, 2003

Re: Feedback: Bliki Software

Posted: Jan 27, 2006 6:29 AM

Ah ha! I just saw your earlier post on a PKMS, at http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpost.jsp?thread=138363.

This post needed a pointer to that one!

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