Re: Feature request(?): adding annotations for nodes?

[Pavel Janík]

   From: Richard Stallman <address@hidden>
   Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 12:14:26 -0700 (MST)

   > Users can and do send bug reports for the manuals--it is not hard.  I
   > don't see why a special feature would help.  We do get a substantial
   > number of bug reports for the manuals.

Yes, I of course know that. I read and even send some of them (I prefer not
to fix them myself even if I can, because I'm not native English speaker).

   > The notes feature could be more generally useful.  How would it work?

It was inspired by the way I read printed manuals. Very often, I make notes
on the borders, create annotated bookmarks etc. I miss this feature in
info. I'd like to share my notes with other users. Very nice example of
this is Annotated PHP manual which can be found at http://www.php.net
(people now try to make GNU Emacs anotated manual as you could seen this
month in emacs-devel). PHP manual is a big document, it is available in
printed form, but the on-line form provides the possibility to add
annotations. Users who would like to add examples of described functions
can do that in annotations. Other readers can read them too. In the next
revision of the manual, best examples are added directly to the manual
(this is a form of collaborative effort and taking feedback from users).

How can it work in info? You are e.g. reading the node (elisp)
Something. The function x-y-z is described there. You have something what
you'd like to try and discuss later somewhere with someone who is not here
right now. You will press `a' (chosen arbitrary, not bound in info) and add
small note which will be saved somewhere somehow
(e.g. ~/.info-annotations/$file/$node). After that, info page will contain
something like ¹ or other (unused) symbol. In GNU Emacs' info mode there
can be some visual notification of this (tool-tip when you are over the
region or something similar). As Eli pointed out, very similar concept is
used in GNU Emacs' bookmarks (where it can be used for something similar,
but is not finished and can be made better with info integration). But
I think this feature should be present in info itself (this is the reason
I have chosen address@hidden e-mail) and Info-mode should only use
that feature.

Footnotes: 
¹  Like footnote mode in GNU Emacs.
-- 
Pavel Janík

Use data arrays to avoid repetitive control sequences.
                  --  The Elements of Programming Style (Kernighan & Plaugher)