19feb03 [jcw] - Here's a thought... ''Could we extend/use the wiki model to do Literate Programming?''

The idea of Literate Programming is by Donald Knuth (see also [http://www.literateprogramming.com/]):

   * Donald Knuth. "Literate Programming (1984)" in Literate Programming. CSLI, 1992, pg. 99: 
        Let us change our traditional attitude to the construction of
        programs: Instead of imagining that our main task is to instruct
        a computer what to do, let us concentrate rather on explaining
        to human beings what we want a computer to do.

Wikit (any wiki in fact) has some striking similarities:
   * it can easily mix free text and source code
   * it has a way to cross-reference / hyperlink pages
   * page titles make natural chapter/section names

Would there be value in bringing these things together?  I think so:
   * a single wikit document can be an entire self-documenting project (or package)
   * think of collaborative work, by altering the wiki through the web
   * there is a local mode, which may become good enough to edit with

''Just rattling the cage a bit...''

[RS] joins in rattling - you've been reading my mail!