Proposal: an unchanging URL for Python documentation

[Steve]

posted on: comp.lang.python
emailed to: docs at python.org

I have a suggestion/request that will, I think, improve the Python
documentation.

Currently, the Python documentation in HTML format is stored at URLs
that change with each new release of Python.  That is, for example, the
documentation for the os module is at
http://python.org/doc/2.3/lib/module-os.html for release 2.3 of Python,
at http://python.org/doc/2.4/lib/module-os.html for release 2.4 and so
on.

I propose that an additional a URL be set up for the Python HTML
documentation.  This URL will always contain the current version of the
documentation.  Suppose we call it "current".  Then (while 2.4 is still
the current version)  the documentation for the os module would also be
available at
http://python.org/doc/current/lib/module-os.html.

There are three advantages to this proposal.

(1) It is cheap and easy to do.

(2) If a person regularly refers to the documentation for the os
module, he can bookmark
http://python.org/doc/current/lib/module-os.html and always be sure of
getting the most current version.

(3) This would give Pythonistas -- basically as a freebie --
annotatable documentation.  You may be familiar with Wikalong (
http://www.wikalong.org/ ).  Wikalong basically allows you to annotate
any URL.  If we had a "current" URL for Python documentation, people
could add Wikalong notes to the current documentation without worrying
that the annotations would not survive the release of the next version
of Python.  Being able to use Wikalong would provide the Python
community with the opportunity to experiment with annotatable documents
(not to mention,  ride the leading edge of the Wikalong wave).  And
those who dislike annotated documentation can easily ignore it or turn
it off the Wikalong sidebar (assuming that they have Wikalong installed
in the first place).

-- Steve Ferg