Documentation for Sigil

[Valloric]

Sigil definitely needs some documentation. Although an offline version should be available and is planned, IMO the best documentation is always online since it can be updated even between releases. Google code provides all projects with wiki pages. Sigil's pages can be found here (there is not much there now).

I'd like members of the MobileRead community to help write some docs for Sigil: best practices, guides on getting things done, etc. Whatever you think is necessary. The reasons why I'm asking for community help follow:

• The more time I spend writing docs, the less time I spend writing code;
• The community has already produced some wonderfull guides and tutorials for various tools, including other ebook editors;
• People who want to contribute to the project but don't know how to code now have a way of helping out.

Anyone interested can respond here and I'll add them as contributors to Sigil on it's project page. You'll need a Google account.

[DaleDe]

Can you shed some light on the name Sigil. How did you pick it and what does it mean? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Valloric]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Can you shed some light on the name Sigil. How did you pick it and what does it mean? Inquiring minds want to know.

Sigil (sigillum) in Latin means "small seal" or "signet". The word "sigla" also stands for an abbreviation used in manuscripts in medieval times.

Basically I wanted the following for the name:

1. Sound good;
2. Easily pronounceable in Croatian and English;
3. Have something to do with books.

The name Sigil fits all of these. At least IMO.

[DaleDe]

Thanks, sounds like you have put some real thought into the name as well as the product.

[yekim54]

Originally Posted by Valloric

Sigil (sigillum) in Latin means "small seal" or "signet". The word "sigla" also stands for an abbreviation used in manuscripts in medieval times.

Basically I wanted the following for the name:

1. Sound good;
2. Easily pronounceable in Croatian and English;
3. Have something to do with books.

The name Sigil fits all of these. At least IMO.

I thought maybe it alluded to "magic ePub editor".

"A sigil is usually made up of a complex combination of several specific symbols or geometric figures each with a specific meaning or intent."

see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil_(magic)

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by yekim54

I thought maybe it alluded to "magic ePub editor".

"A sigil is usually made up of a complex combination of several specific symbols or geometric figures each with a specific meaning or intent."

see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil_(magic)

that must be the other reason.

[DTM]

Originally Posted by Valloric

Basically I wanted the following for the name: ... Easily pronounceable in Croatian and English....

OK, but how do you pronounce it in English? I can see eight possiblilities--although some are pretty unlikely--but I'm guessing we're not all using the same one.

(P.S. -- I've just started playing with it. Thank you very much, Valloric!)

[Slite]

It's almost the same word used in Swedish as well. Here it's spelled "Sigill" and pronounced Sijil´

[Valloric]

Originally Posted by DTM

OK, but how do you pronounce it in English?

The preferred pronouncement would be /ˈsɪdʒəl/, in IPA.

But I'm not anal about it. You are free to pronounce it differently if you speak a foreign language (or even if you don't) and something else feels more natural.

[Jellby]

I'll pronounce it /'sixil/ or /'sihil/ in Spanish anyway

[Valloric]

Originally Posted by Jellby

I'll pronounce it /'sixil/ or /'sihil/ in Spanish anyway

Like I've said, you are free to do so.

I pronounce it slightly differently when I'm talking about it in Croatian, too.

[DTM]

Originally Posted by Valloric

The preferred pronouncement would be /ˈsɪdʒəl/ ...

Thanks. I was close, but had been using a gutteral "g", /ˈsɪgəl/. One of the benefits of creating the software is that you get to declare the preferred pronunciation, so /ˈsɪdʒəl/ it is!

[Valloric]

It's time to make this happen. Sigil needs some docs.

I'd like the documentation to be written in reStructuredText, and then handed off to Sphinx which will then generate an epub and a nice PDF version with LaTeX (yes, PDF for technical documentation is preferable over epub).

But someone has to write the RST docs. I intend to write some/most/all of it depending on the number of volunteers. But I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the more time I spend writing docs is the less time I spend writing code.

The 0.2.0 interface is here to stay and no major redesigns are in the foreseeable future, so there's a relatively stable basis from which to work.

Anyone willing should post here, send me a PM, an email, whatever. Just get in contact.

[Dave.Farrant]

Obviously the documentation has got into Sphinx. What's the likelihood of an EPUB version?

Dave

[Valloric]

Originally Posted by Dave.Farrant

Obviously the documentation has got into Sphinx. What's the likelihood of an EPUB version?

Dave

Not this again...

See the links I posted in reply to this issue.