GitLab OSF

[cirosantilli]

I've worked 1 year on a related project: https://github.com/booktree/booktree

Questions for you

1. What does the current GitHub interface do?

All I could find was backing up CRUD operations from OSF on GitHub.

I don't think using GH for backup is very useful: no one wants to work with such horrible Git history, and you lose the great single advantage of GitHub: pull requests. 2. What can we do with the GitLab API that cannot be done with the GitHub one? Or are you considering a deeper, source level integration?

My impression

As it stands now, GH (and thus possibly GL?) integration does not add much value.

I would recommend more focus: what do we want to help people do? Create better open collaborative texts?

If so, the GitHub / GitLab workflow is tthe optimal path, and we should adapt that for users instead.

My proposal

Use the money for: https://github.com/booktree/booktree or something similar :-)

There are two possible levels: WYSIWYG or not.

Not WYSIWYG

We might be able to merge this with GitLab entirely.

The focus would be to allow LaTeX to be web edited on top of GitLab. Similar to https://github.com/sharelatex/sharelatex

LaTeX is already used my millions for their daily jobs, so it must be the initial language of choice.

The problem with LaTeX is that it is hard to render it with JavaScript to have preview as you type which is crucial.

Some possibilities:

• https://github.com/manuels/texlive.js/ http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/101977/texlive-js-possible
• use GitLab CI to compile
• (non mergeable) paste sharelatex on top of GitLab and integrate them well. E.g., when you click on the "Edit" button for a file, it opens ShareLaTeX. SL already has a GitHub backend.

To make this more reusable, we could make the JavaScript renderer into a generic component, such that any renderer that implements some interface would work.

WYSIWYG

This is where the real money (and risk) lie.

People don't want to learn markup. They want WYSIWYG.

https://atlas.oreilly.com/ is already walking to that direction, but their model is too closed for now, and I think it can be defeated.

Use an intermediate XML based (maybe O'Reilly's own HTMLBook https://github.com/oreillymedia/HTMLBook) language meant to be edited by WYSIWYG interfaces.

Allow importing from everything (LaTeX, Markdown, etc.) and exporting to HTML and PDF. Pandoc already does this for example.

Implement WYSIWYG Git-like operations everywhere, in particular viewing the output, and diffing it. Atlas'es take at some point: https://github.com/booktree/files/blob/master/atlas/pull-request-visual.png

This would also require a local editor. Node webkit is the way to go, so that we can factor out the local editor and the web UI editor https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/

https://www.gitbook.com/ is already moving in that direction, but without GitHub-side integration, people will never make pull requests.

[JeffSpies]

Thanks for the interest!

1. Checkout osf.io, create a project, and add a Github add-on. Let me know if you have further questions.

2. Gitlab is a free, open source alternative to Github that people could host on their own. There are use-cases where this important. I can say more.

I remember seeing booktree in the past. While this grant can't be used for it, we'd welcome a PR with an add-on for booktree. We have a team also working on a sharelatex, so keep an eye out for that.

Have you seen gitbook.com? It may be worth reaching out to Aaron. There may be room for collaboration.

[cirosantilli]

@JeffSpies thanks for reply!

Checkout osf.io, create a project, and add a Github add-on. Let me know if you have further questions.

Had already done: https://github.com/cirosantilli/osf-test just confirming it is just a storage tool with versions.

Gitlab is a free, open source alternative to Github that people could host on their own. There are use-cases where this important. I can say more.

Ah, so there is considerable interest for hosting it locally? I though a big SaaS would be the most common use case because of the open science theme.

I remember seeing booktree in the past.

Yes, I have already emailed you before :-)

We have a team also working on a sharelatex, so keep an eye out for that.

Cool!

Have you seen gitbook.com? It may be worth reaching out to Aaron. There may be room for collaboration.

Yes as mentioned on my message :-)

I have already talked to them once, but at the time the didn't show much interest: https://github.com/GitbookIO/gitbook/issues/375

[JeffSpies]

We support both private and public workflows. There are use-cases where data is sensitive enough or their institution mandates that it is stored on local machines (with varying degrees of security around them).

Email: I thought you might have.

Gitbook: ah! Missed that.