On the Mark: 4/23/2002

	Tuesday, April 23, 2002

I had another thought today (that's two, I am really taxing myself). I rarely finish editing a story in a single sitting. In fact, it often takes a few days to complete a story. For this reason I often find myself wishing that Radio provided some means of keeping track of recently edited files so I could quickly reopen them. This happens every time I use the File/Open... menu and then navigate the file system looking for the document I want to edit. I was all set to write something myself, when I found that Radio's Bookmark menu already does exactly what I want. Here's how:

Open an OPML file
Select Bookmarks/Add Bookmark...
Enter some meaningful name, click "OK"
Voila! You can now use the new entry in Radio's Bookmarks menu to reopen the file.

Another great timesaver from Userland.
4:14:39 PM

Google It!

Using Google It! on my own article, I found this interesting OPML rendering article. I want to play around with this. I wonder if the netcrucible author found a way to hanle variable levels of outline indentation (and formatting them accordingly).
3:42:46 PM

Google It!

I just went for a quick walk around the complex and had this thought "How would I render OPML as HTML if I want to give my docs to non-Radio users?" "XSLT, of course" I said to myself. When I got back to my desk I found that Dave Winer is asking the same question today. Coincidence? I doubt it (since I do not believe things happen by coincidence). I still think XSLT is the obvious answer.

It is also the easy answer if all OPML is to be rendered in the same way. But that probably is not the case. I am thinking of an XSLT to format a two-level outline. Others may want something quite different. Dave is clearly thinking in terms of the Instant Outliner. One rendering problem we will have to deal with here is that no single style (i.e. indentation model) has emerged as the standard. Without that, it will be difficult to do anything more than a simplistic two-level outline. That will not be nice for those who want indented items treated as a list. We might need a pike renderer rules capability.
3:34:45 PM Google It!

Joel on Software - The Joel Test: 12 Steps to Better Code: "A score of 12 is perfect, 11 is tolerable, but 10 or lower and you've got serious problems. The truth is that most software organizations are running with a score of 2 or 3, and they need serious help, because companies like Microsoft run at 12 full-time. "

I score our group at six. Looks like we need serious help.
11:23:45 AM Google It!