Open-Support Network (Global / Australia)?

As per idea(s) I've mentioned, which have been sprawled across several threads and posts at times , how would people consider an Open-Support Network ?

The goals would be to use existing, free-ware and/or donation-ware (and of course spy-ware free) software to leverage and share peoples pre-existing knowledge in a more dynamic and live way.

The software used need not be Open-Source, just "useful", eg: MSN Live! Messenger 8.0 can be used for folder-sharing (it enforces Anti-Virus, etc).

Using simple CLI driven .bat/.cmd files (run on just) your PC it is possible to synchronise a file to a group of contacts in seconds !

Examples of uses:
- Firstly: Your ideas for Open-Support Network here

- Sharing Ideas, Yes, any Idea you have, maybe a simple software bug fix, enhancement or change request - and have more experienced / dedicated people track down who to submit requests to (in bulk if need be). [eg: Everyone complains about Microsoft doing stuff 'wrong', Did you know you can submit improvement requests to them ?, and failing that to an open-source development community ?]

- Encouraging more Open-Source requests, and Open-Source documentation (quality documentation, HowTo's, etc).

- A forced "Search Before Asking or Posting (tm)" technology

- Four main sections: Hardware, Software, Networking, Programming
- Perhaps sections for Computer Industry Financial Projections, Financial Advice & Tips (with disclaimers) on buying a PC, or saving to buy a PC, or when to sell your old hardware + combine small savings to upgrade - eg: How to save $1/day give or take and keep your PC(s) up-to-date - Is renting better, leasing, etc (DIY or Buy, Rent and the like).

- Apple / Mac (main/sub/transparent linkage)-sections, for Xcode, etc (As é-publication derived will be far more immune to spamming or abuse, as members of your group need your approval to share files, etc

- Ditto for Linux, Unix, Solaris, etc

- Sharing of useful Internet Bookmarks / Favourites (Via MSN Windows Live! Favourites, Sharing Folders via MSN for collaboration, Exporting lists from Firefox (.html format for exports of favs may be more useful), etc

- Shared self, or group effort, reviews of software, hardware, networking, programming 'stuff'*. With diagrams + images, etc to boot.

- Living / Dynamic é-publications, using TG Forumz as a central location for management. (Not storage though, storage will be decentralised, at least initially).

- Creation of shared databases of products, who makes them, URLs for the product and main manufacturer web-site (or web-sites if one per country - built up over time, reviewed and maintained over time and 'on-demand' use).

- Tips for search engines, such as www.google.com and www.alltheweb.com

- Coding, Learning to Code for ANYONE: C, Obj-C, C++, Java, .NET, anything in common use, what they are, how they work, what platforms they work on or partially work on and why, etc
- With the power of URLs can link to any site hosted almost anywhere in the world. (Obvious, but cool enough).

- Build our own Moodle (Training / How-To courses, like a Wiki but not), Encourage use of TomsWiki when it is ready for the public, Several é-publications.

- With subsections, eg: Network Programming, Gaming Hardware

- Perhaps links to real-time price charts fed into a real-time database so you can specify desired price in desired currency for a real-time international, but with geographical proximity to you, prices, and a Build Your Own PC - Much like 'Build / Pimp Your Own Car in Racing Games' - Maybe with 3D rotating images of hardware for representation (and the cheesy techno music to match) -

- Automating and Reducing / Eliminating the need for Windows User Profile Resets - (Well maybe a 5th section just for this). -

- [b]A movement towards PC self-healing, cross statistical analysis (by time, by X, by Y) of statistical (PC build integrity) data on an Open-Enterprise scale.[/b] - This can be used to find virus outbreaks even when heuristics fail in 'near real-time'. Amongst other things.

- 'Dedicated' (bored, insane, etc) people can 'file' stuff in 'more correct' areas for organisation, or do nothing (they ain't paid, but want to make it easier to find stuff, esp when the same questions crop up year over year, or day over day. - Have some sort of 'before and after' duplex relationship for anything that might be moved.

- User hierarchy, more experienced users do more things, New Users perhaps can't post for 2 weeks (stops multiple temporary accounts being made, and 'encourages' searching for problems and solutions themselves, etc - building a 'better, smarter user base). (This is assuming we have a forum setup where we can do this, I might try to arrange something).

- Sharing tips for software use.

Really poor eg (that could use improvement): Organise Favourites into folders, and use Ctrl+D to make new favourites, when 'moving' the 'root folder' favourites into other folders answer 'No' to overwrite existing (as most internet content has fairly static titles, and that is how favs are named - from the pages title), then rename the favs 'on demand'. (It is for this reason Firefox supports bookmarks with the same name, in the same 'folder' - but this makes finding specific information hard, esp if you've made 25+ with the same name - you have no indexing words / tags for what each fav contains - an organisational nightmare from a novel concept with good intentions to begin with).

[This needs screen-shots to demonstrate, which is why Shared Folders + OpenOffice + Re visioning work so well, can then export to .PDF or .HTML with images, etc all nicely placed - BBCode does not handle this well]

To be more specific: NineMSN.au video links for news have a static name and require renaming to have multiple as a bookmark. Upon creation they'll just be named "ninemsn Video" (for each one, although the URLs differ), so if one already exists in an 'organised' folder, it'll prompt to over-write, so say 'No', then rename the 'left over' (same filename) bookmarks on demand.
eg:
From: ninemsn Video
To: ninemsn Video - How much money is enough (Retirement)
URL (in this case): http://ninemsn.video.msn.com/v/en- [...] iaid=29082


- A ranking system, so things that are good get promoted, and things that are bad can get the improvement they need.

- Looking for other Quality <Anyword> Officers, or anyone with similar skill sets to start with. Pool ideas on an international scale. (English to start with, maybe translated - dunno if that'll work to well though).

- Carry a notepad and a pen (cheaper) or a PDA (expensive), Every-time you have an IT / Computer related idea, write it down. Something cool, something that annoys you, whatever - We'll try and find a place for it to go - "Giving your ideas ----> Direction".

- If there is a forum that 2 week latency can stop trolls getting approval to 'discuss' things, then registering a new user on a temporary e-mail account in anger when banned. - I really think it works, just the 2 week delay can be annoying (and won't be used initially, as no central forum).


As I am quite safe from spam* I encourage anyone interested to add me to their MSN Contact list or é-mail me at: darkpeace@internode.on.net

If you é-mail me please put: "Open-Support Network" in the subject line.


* - 'Stuff' meaning pretty much anything and everything.

* - You will get an e-mail reply from me, please forward it back, and request to be added to my "Friends List", this protects me from spam.

[This post is pretty rough now, and may need improvement itself, but it is past mid-night here now].

It is hard to define Open-Support as a concept, but anyone interested should e-mail or MSN me (With MSN that supports 'Folder Sharing' between users).

If you don't know what Anti-Virus is, or if you are even running up-to-date Anti-Virus I'd normally so don't apply - But do so anyway and I'll try and help you 'én mass' to get going on your best foot from day one.

My theory is, there is a lack of standardisation and too much duplication (of effort) at times, and a central 'Open-Support Network', with wise use of URLs can combat this 'waste', so time can be better invested in new, innovative ideas.

My other theory is, beyond October 2007 hardware freaks will be happy with even a 'upper mainstream' PC, and once 4-way computing becomes highly affordable the concentration will move to high efficiency (via good code and User Interface, etc) will be under the new spotlight.

The ability to sort things by both Date/Time and by 'Smart-Rank' (based on visits, user feedback / ranks, etc), and "Areas that need improvement" used an enhanced Pareto Algorithm could enable massive 'free' productivity. (As in free bear, build using peoples [not so] free time).

Maybe a globe marker (accurate to state/territory/or blur only) for each user, Times they often come online (pattern recognition, GMT adjusted, Time Zone adjusted), A 'vastly superior' contact card. [Generally, whatever people can think of, someone can code it].

eg: SpellCheck within a Forum - Smarter than the OpenOffice one, then share implementation ideas with OpenOffice so both win.

Standardised colour coding of 'stuff', that can be toggled on/off

[Misc note below]:
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Why Web 2.0 is failing:
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Requires more and/or new knowledge on user side

Decreases 'screen real-estate' utilization
By adding elements that don't leverage pre-existing knowledge or experience

Increases complexity by a larger percentage than the gain* it gives back
*(in productivity, user experience or otherwise)

Decreases performance / Increases load, on both server(s) and client(s)
(and users themselves by need of reconfiguration, more scrolling, etc).

Seams to lack templates for easy / rapid reconfiguration by users
(Template systems usually build on pre-existing knowledge)


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If you read the above nodding your head, but with no idea what I'm talking about, then 'We want you'.
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Yeah, this is a draft but it'll do for now.
Also need to flag URLs with the browsers that will fail to load them. (eg: NineMSN Video links will not work in Firefox, or may require a special plug-in).

Also need 'Multi'-Threaded + x64 development sections, as within a few years they'll both be norms.

8) - TabrisarkPeace - This post is still in a draft state.

Yeah really sorry about that.

Wrote it up in a most tired (near digital-zen) state.

It almost needs a total re-write -

I'll grind over it this weekend, try and make it easier to grasp, more presentable, etc

As a concept it works, as an idea it'll need collaboration between more people, and an article it is 'blah'.