[mapserver-dev] Update: MapServer Documentation Effort

[Howard Butler]

All,

I wanted to let you know that we are on track to migrate the current  
MapServer website from its host at UMN to a server at TelaScience  
(provided graciously through TelaScience's relationship with OSGeo --  
the same machine that hosts http://www.gdal.org and http://grass.osgeo.org 
) next week (Dec 30th).

On the 30th, the alias for mapserver.gis.umn.edu will be changed to  
point at the alias for http://mapserver.osgeo.org, which will be the  
new permanent home for the site.  A preview of the site is already at http://mapserver.osgeo.org 
, and we'll be continuing to make additions as we build up to the 30th  
switchover.

Some of the improvements and additions include:

- A PDF containing all of the docs (nearly 600 pages worth!) http://mapserver.osgeo.org/MapServer.pdf
- Updated glossary http://mapserver.osgeo.org/glossary.html
- Significant work on the "New Users" doc (now called "An Introduction  
to MapServer") by Jeff McKenna http://mapserver.osgeo.org/introduction.html
- A lot more internal referencing.  Links and notes and annotations  
have been placed throughout the documentation (and more are being  
continually added) that provide more context, more depth, and more  
related content.
- Better styling, faster static website, and the promise of more up-to- 
date docs.  The new site works much better with our documentation  
writing workflow -- making it easier for people who write docs to  
write them.  This will ultimately mean better docs in the long run.
- (Hopefully) better organization

Thanks,


Howard