LogiLogi is: Coherent and Agile

Now we will analyse how LogiLogi can circumvent the problems that plagued previous systems. First of all LogiLogi is a coherent system. Logis are kept short, so people can easily refer to them, and they can each express a single, particular idea. Links can have three scopes: tags, logis or versions. Thus one can easily either refer to an idea, or a set of reasons, to an author's updated view of an idea, or to a specific description of an idea. Links usually are to tags, so new logis matching the tags are automatically included. And multiple logis, attempting at providing better descriptions of, or thoughts about the same idea, are in competition with one another, and thus can, and will, improve over time. Allowing more tags per logi, and multiple logis to have the same tags, also prevents name-squatting, and enables logis to remain focussed - to clearly describe one view, or one idea - instead of requiring compromises in ever larger, vaguer descriptions. And lastly, peergroups offer the possibility of various viewpoints to co-exist, and prevent a lowest common denominator from dominating the discourse. So all the pieces of LogiLogi fit together. And this while still being simple and minimalistic.

In fact LogiLogi is simple on purpose: to limit complexity. It does not aim to be a fully fledged publishing framework, a conference-tool, an universal library, or a replacement for all uses of wikis and mailing-lists. LogiLogi is not meant to hold historic texts (many sites are better at that already), but it is specifically designed for new contributions. It aims at providing an informal philosophical discussion platform for those many ideas that one is unable to turn into a full-sized journal paper because of time-constraints. It has these narrow aims both for the practical reason that it is a small project (2 to 10 volunteers), but also because narrow aims mean simpler, and easier to use software. In addition, LogiLogi is a singular site (like Wikipedia or Facebook), that works in any modern browser. It does not provide a federative, or peer-to-peer structure. Both this, and its simple architecture mean that updating, improving, and adapting it, are as easy and swift as they can be. Moreover, keeping it singular also gives users the full advantages of forming a global community, and thus a maximum of network-effects.

In the Web2.0 world it actually is considered good practice to go 80% of the way with 20% of the software. There even is a whole paradigm behind this, which is called Agile Software development. It comes down to keeping the design as simple as it needs to be for doing one thing, and for doing it really well. When new features are needed (ideally requested by users) the design can be refactored, but only to accommodate the complexity needed at that time. Also using frameworks (such as Ruby on Rails) which provide a straightjacket of good practice, by taking away many needless choices, and using (well-designed) existing libraries and standards, wherever possible, are part of it. An example of the use of standards is that LogiLogi is providing REST and RSS API's for integrating it with existing websites. Thus, through LogiLogi's narrow aims, and inteoperability with other sites, we try to avoid the comprehensiveness trap. Where software physically runs is of little relevance for how, and on which pages, it can be shown to users. Thus sites can be singular, and still federative in their appearance.

In line with this LogiLogi simply tries to be something that philosophers can begin using at the side. It does not even try to hook into existing institutions, nor to replace any part of the journal-based publishing ecosystem. What LogiLogi tries to be, is easy, simple, inviting, rewarding and fun for users. For example our tag-system does not start with a formal ontology to which users have to adhere, but is a folksonomy that can grow and be adapted over time: easy. Similarily we don't have links expressing the kind of relationship between documents (such as refutes or explains): simple. Also the peergroup-system that grants people voting-powers and memberships on positive votes allows for them to be self-organizing: inviting. In addition, as more people start using LogiLogi, being highly ranked in a peergroup is hard and really means something in terms of a proven quality of work: rewarding. Becoming something you and other people on the web will love to use is the goal of LogiLogi, not meeting all the formal requirements of self-prescribed grant-contracts, solving every problem out there, or perfectly mirroring existing practices.