New Software and Architecture features on IFWiki

General IF Community Resources
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Here are two announcements which have just been added to the wiki’s main page:

  • 27 Feb 2025: We have added a new Architecture database for storyfile formats and other specifications which can be implemented by items in the Software database. See Category:Architecture for existing pages, and use Form:Architecture to add more.
  • 27 Feb 2025: We have added “Library” and “Other” to the Software database as potential software types, in addition to the existing “Authoring system”, “Interpreter” and “Utility”. See Category:Library and Category:Other software for existing pages, and use Form:Software to add more.

We would be grateful for help in adding more pages!

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Hi Jonathan,

I had a look to try and add a bit more detail on my own small project. But I got a bit confused about the categories you have set up.

For example, The Quill comes under Interpreters, whereas Inform 7 is listed as an Authoring Tool. I’m not saying either is wrong, but I wonder if the taxonomy is sufficient to describe these frameworks.

Games Culture has left its mark on Software Engineering, and many hobbyists have become accustomed to the terminology of the industry.

These days an Authoring Tool is an IDE or Project Manager application, which performs customizable workflows. Utilities exist at every stage of the pipeline ie:

  • Processing media assets into standard formats.
  • Applying filters to images.
  • Normalizing audio.
  • Spell-checking dialogue.
  • Running a test framework.
  • Bundling a project for release.
  • Creating a platform-specific installer.

A Story File might be a Python package or a Windows .msi installer.
The role of Interpreter might be fulfilled by a Web Browser, if the distributable package is installed on the server side of a network.

Not trying to challenge all your valuable work, but is it possible to document your object model with a few examples, or publish a taxonomy which allows an ontological declaration of eg: Editor: Visual Studio, Platform: Windows, etc?

And I’d be willing to act as a sounding board, if you would like to throw some ideas around :slightly_smiling_face:

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The Quill is categorised as both an authoring system and an interpreter, which seems appropriate?

Or should it not be categorised as an interpreter as the interpreter is always bundled with the storyfile? I’m not too familiar with it.

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Thanks. You can browse the existing pages at Drilldown: Software - IFWiki to help work out what’s what:

Authoring system (110) · Interpreter (127) · Library (1) · Utility (36)

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Yes, it is.

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4 posts were split to a new topic: Autofocus on IFWiki search box

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I was probably the main person pushing for both of these, and I’ve now gone and fleshed out what I think is a great example: the GlkOte protocol. I’ve also added a bunch of libraries which didn’t previously have pages.

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