A Question to Wolfram Library Archive

[Rolf_Sulanke]

Three weeks ago I have asked the following question to the Library:

"An http://library.wolfram.com/guestbook/
Date Nov.27,2910
Subject: My contribution Old MathSource #0210-092
Hello,
On my homepage, the URL on that item, section Geometry and Algebra, subsection Spheres, or in the section Mathematica, you can find two downloads: sphs4.tgz (for Linux, Unix) or sphs4.zip (für Windows). These are packed new versions of the files with the same names contained in the item cited above. I would be very glad if you would download the new versions from my homepage and replace the files of the item by the newer ones.
Is it possible to submit other new notebooks and packages to Wolfram Library Archive, and how it can be done?"

I didn't get an answer up to now, Dec. 15. In the meantime I learnt how to submit new items, but the first problem continues to exist. In fact, my old versions have not been replaced by the new ones as I proposed in my message. The question is: How may authors update obsolete versions of their submissions by actual ones? The problem seems to be a general: I tested the notebook "Exterior Differential Calculus" of Sotirios Bonanos, Old MathSource #0210-935, Revision date 2007-06-08, which does not work under Mathematica V. 7. Googling I found his homepage and their a new version which runs well.

I think it would be good for the authors, the users, and not least for the Wolfram Company, if an easy and safe method would be fixed to enable the authors making updates of their contributions.
Rolf Sulanke

[telefunkenvf14]

I think it would be good for the authors, the users, and not least for the Wolfram Company, if an easy and safe method would be fixed to enable the authors making updates of their contributions.
Rolf Sulanke

I've been saying this almost as long as I've been using Mathematica... The library shouldn't be a place where code goes to wither and die.

General Ideas:

1. Call it the 'Community Portal' instead and enable users to contribute by submitting/updating original projects via the new 'User Portals'.
2. Enable a rating system (I have lots of ideas on how this might be implemented)
3. Make it easy for users to keep track of projects they're interested in and auto-notify when there are newer versions available.
4. Facilitate collaboration. (perhaps even host some version control that would play easily with Workbench)
5. For projects that look particularly promising/interesting, make WRI developers available for some general consultation/mentoring, hopefully steering things in the right direction. (this wouldn't have to be anything major---perhaps just an occasional online meeting in adobe presenter)
6. Give recognition to those who contribute. (lots of possibilities)

-RG