Re: [edict-jmdict] JMdict/EDICT update backlog

[Stuart McGraw <smcg4191@********>]

Jim Breen wrote:
[...]
> Stuart's online system is getting a lot closer to completion, and I hope
> before long to be no longer a bottleneck in the process.

Most of the communication about the online system has been
via private email to Jim, so here is a quick update.

The technicalities of the correction/new-entry submission
process have been worked out I think.  Users can create a
new entry, or modify an existing entry.  Such entries are
added to the database but marked "unapproved" and the entry
they were derived from (in the case of edits) remains in
the database unchanged,  Any entry can be edited, including
unapproved entries, with each edit resulting in an additional
entry.  This allows submitters to revise their own (or
other's) submissions and is the means by which editors
approve and reject submissions.

Logged-in editors can approve or reject submitted entries,
with or without modifications.  The process is identical
to a submission by a non-editor except that when an entry
is approved, the entry (or possibly entries) that it was
derived from are deleted and the submitted entry becomes
the current, active, entry.  Rejection is similar except
that original entry remains untouched, and the rejected
entry is marked such (which causes it not to show up in
searches, etc unless explicitly looked for).  It is kept
in the database for some period of time to allow interested
parties to view it and the comments the editor added
giving the reasons for rejection.

All the above is done in such a way that it is not possible
(unless I screwed up) for one editor's changes to silently
overwrite another's.

Please feel free to try out the prototype at

  http://arakawa.edrdg.org/~smg/

There is no need to submit "real" corrections, adding
junk entries is fine.  There are help links that need
improvement but should be somewhat helpful.  Also,
editing existing entries will give you a feel for the
input syntax required.  There is no editor login yet,
so everyone is an editor (can approve/reject entries).
When editor login is added, non-editors will only be
able to submit, not approve or reject.  Please be fore-
warned there are a lot of bugs.  Second forewarning,
many errors result in a blank page.  Never-the-less,
I would be grateful for any comments.

There is still quite a bit of work remaining including:
* The error messages when the submission processor doesn't
  understand a submitted entry are completely inscrutable
  and have to be improved.
* There needs to be some kind of automatically generated
  but human readable "diff" that shows the changes that
  were made in the current submission.
* The editor login stuff needs to be added.
* All the grunge work of taking prototype software to
  production quality: error handling and messages, security
  review, many bugs need fixing, supporting tools and
  scripts, backup plans, better looking skins, etc.

Unfortunately, I have some personal family issues I need
to take care of over the next couple of months so both the
time I have available and my internet access will be quite
limited.  But I plan to devote a lot more time to the
submission system after that.