Re: [Boost-users] Could searching and indexing Boost docs might work better?

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] Could searching and indexing Boost docs might work better?
From: Paul A. Bristow (pbristow_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-09-19 09:58:53

> -----Original Message-----
> From: boost-users-bounces_at_[hidden] [mailto:boost-users-
> bounces_at_[hidden]] On Behalf Of Cory Nelson
> Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 4:37 PM
> To: boost-users_at_[hidden]
> Subject: Re: [Boost-users] Could searching and indexing Boost docs might work
> better?
> 
> On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 6:36 AM, Dave Abrahams <dave_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> > On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 3:54 AM, Paul A. Bristow
> >> Using boost.org and entering "Running specific test units selected by
> >> their name" into the search box also didn't produce the latest docs
> >> page above, only out of date stuff.  Limiting search to www.boost.org
> >> didn't get 1.44 docs (only misleading ref to 1.38).
> >
> > This is because of the way our versioned docs are done.  You can
> > always get to the latest version of a page by substituting "release"
> > for the version number in the URL, but because that is just a
> > redirect, it doesn't end up in Google's index.  Maybe the "release"
> > URLs should be the actual pages that are redirected from the latest
> > version number and we should be telling google not to index any of the
> > pages  that have a version number in the URL.
> >
> 
> I don't like this.  You might end up missing some functionality that was changed
> or removed from a prior version.  Users of 1.40 packaged with their favorite
> linux distro might not be able to find the docs for their old Filesystem code.
> 
> How about a notice at the top of the page saying that it might not be for the
> latest and greatest version, with a link to the "release"
> version?
> 
> Or (more complex) do what MSDN does, and have a box on each page like "This
> page is specific to Boost X.  Other versions are also available for the following:
> Boost Y, Boost Z"

Neither of these solve the real problem - Google is not indexing the release version,
surely this is the most important of all?

Ideally, all versions should be indexed, but this too might be confusing - very many index entries for the same item in *all* the old versions.

Perhaps including 'release' in the search terms?  

Or some 'old' flag - but you can't add that later (after has been indexed) can you?

But I'm not sure if Google will respect that as a 'must have' and or a 'must not' term? 

I'm not sure how to solve this, but I feel it is really rather important.

A Google search on boost.org at least should find the release version.

Paul

---
Paul A. Bristow,
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[phone]  07714330204
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