LovPyOpenBookProjectEn

Background on Chinese

• 1/5 of people of our planet in China.
• With long-term stable economic growth, China gains the right to speak in all aspects of the international community.
• However not a single software is widely used all over the world as the following:

• Photoshop
• Office
• Oracle
• Firefox

• The original cause may be rooted in China's education system and teaching methods related to computer and mathematical / physical like other subjects;

• Learn about the history
• Memory full syntax
• Exercise
• Understand the special case
• exam all above

• All in all, without discussion they will never find their inner desires,creating one software out of nothing.

  • However, China produces one million college students each year, of which at least 1% major in a computer-related professions.
  • In such an environment to promote Python in the far-reaching implications for the PSF.

Problems to solve

• Since found by Chinese geek in 2001, even though there are many successful exmples based on Python language such as google/Yutube/DouBan, it still doesn`t gain enough attention.
• Students wanted touch to the latest technology, in addition to self-identify, it is only through the exchange of a variety of technical communities
• However, the influence of technical communities, also depends largely on the exposure to host technical activities, specifications, and whether there is book publishing!
• In fact,In China, one technology, whether there is publication of books, as well as the types of the size of students and technical staff who determine the technology is the most basic indicators.
• Shown in python related books,take amazon.com as an example.

• There are 36 species of almost half of the original Python books in Japan.
• However only 16 species and two kinds of originals in China.

• "Lovely Python" the world's first Chinese entry book.
• In addition Python source code analysis: in-depth exploration dynamic language can only be considered as the core technology-related books.

• Therefore, it is imperative for the majority of beginners, to write an entry-level Python books to guide you quickly convert habits, not asking how
• you can tech Python self,but rather to join the community to discuss how to use Python to solve / analyze.

What's OBP?

Aiming at the background I create the OBP project(OpenBookProject):

• Legal entity base ZEUUX.org
• Base on community of CPyUG
• Display on woodpecker.org.cn wiki
• Project management with code.google: OBP
• "Lovely Python" one of the most successful original book project.

Why OBP?

• After years of CPyUG Mailing List maintenance process, we found that the Python applications, mostly alone in carrying out the study and trying to; thus bringing a lot of old ideas, as well as bias, leading to failure;
• Even with some technical communities, but in which the members and do not form a good collaboration and knowledge-sharing habits, almost 80% of the wiki is less than 1% contribution to the list of subscribers ...
• So, not only the book's content is designed to experience and technical cooperation,but also the formation of the book itself should also be a product of synergy!
• Fortunately, when there is already sufficient community resources to carry out this try:

• specific Python communities are not many, usually some large technology community has opened up the discussion Python plate;
• Woodpecker is the first project-oriented technical expertise Python Community.
• CPyUG Mailing List is the world's most active list Python technical discussion mailinglist, subscription over 8000; average daily 95;

Basic recurrence

• O.B.P. is the Open Book Project acronym, from the begin is community-based distribution of the teams to explore:

• A original or translation book project is in the Mailing List, open initiative and the team forms freely.
• Then I or other active members, presided over the middle coordinate, organize the relevant resources management, promote the project.

• Finally a relatively fixed engineering process forms:

• put forward ideas in CPyUG Mailing List
• registe book project in woodpecker.org.cn wiki after a certain consensus
• Gather sufficient core authors in the OBP environment and open up SVN directory,And publish the time plan of book
• Carry out on a regular basis the progress in the IRC to communicate
• Submit in plain text in the SVN book content, in time synchronized to woodpecker.org.cn wiki.
• Eventually deliver to the editor wiki format, structured text, as well as related attachmentes / code.

• "Lovely Python" project team formed a beautiful echelon:

• One full-time editor (broadview press)
• 3 core writer
• Technical proofreading over 5
• Read tester over 500

• After three years of writing and one year of editing, in 2009-09 published for sale.

More sophisticated recurrence

• Book itself designed in the form of Web site:

• the evolution of two successive simple software as an example
• In each knowledge point,the side note is designed to an index to the rear of the corresponding PCS ~ Python Cheat Sheet Entry.
• PCS entry, similar to Cook Book is a small and remote, but specific fragment of a complete set of develop skill.

• Using a continuous story tells how a software project is completed from idea to try to make quick through continuous reconstruction of the original vision;
• This process conveys how to think, how to solve the problem Pythonic style friendly.
• The format specification,however, the end of the same PCS, can be claimed by a parallel distributed teams to complete their own tasks.
• Readers can also have an instance of the background code, a better understanding of the best situation for the use of the specific module.

Other capabilities of OBP

• Publishers joined after forming the main content of the discussion but before completed.
• Signing a publishing co-operation is after completed in 90% and they have business discussions as the corporation of the community.
• This has brought a lot of convenience:

• Carrying out discussion of publishing contract negotiations as corporate of the community not only saves the author's effort but also gets a better benefit.
• As a community-based organizations,the number of partner is unlimited, and the distribution of benefits belongs to the internal affairs and is easy to consult.
• In fact nearly all author royalties will be donated to the community.
• In addition we can get an electronic version of the distribution right hand in the community for the future initiatives continued to the amendment obtained.

Conclusion

• Guido van Rossum also endorses the form and content of books and wrote recommendation Blog specially: Lovely Python!
• Sales for 2 months, the book enters the top list of a variety of network access technology bookstore.
• 3 months for sale, the additional second printing.
• Beijing City University has decided to use "Lovely Python" the teaching materials of the selective course.
• Through the four years since the writing, book writing / proofing / test reading / promotion / feedback led to nearly 10000 discussion threads in Mailing List, indirect attention to the crowd more than 50,000
• members of CPyUG Mailing List,them initiative dissemination of various technologies in other communities are also more than a quote, triggering learning Python craze

To sum up, for the words of experience:

• as long as the desire to have faith and stick to it, resources / difficult / time, and so the total can be resolved
• based on the existing free service, is entirely possible to run a complex book writing project
• through community-based discussion / sponsored / organizations / books feasible distribution technology, only should pay attention to good communication
• The formation process and the entire book is transparent and can be added, resulting in the pre-sale of books has been in the testing status.
• All technical issues can be found and revised in community-based collaboration basicly.
• also ensure the distribution of books, from the reader's awareness on the related guaranteed!
• Of course, again, the premise was to ensure that communities are sufficiently large and influential

• By registering forensic communities,communicate is easier and more professional.

<<-- ZoomQuiet[2010-01-20 09:10:40]>>