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We Make How We Learn: The Role of Community in Authoring Tool Longevity

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The Authoring Problem

Part of the book series: Human–Computer Interaction Series ((HCIS))

Abstract

Since 1979, hundreds of authoring tools have been created. While many factors contribute to the survival of a tool beyond its initial introduction, the largest factor for an authoring tool lasting more than a publication or initial experiment is the active involvement of a community. Authoring tools survive by those who use them. Active community involvement in projects extends their lives, and the resources created by communities around a tool help new users learn to use it. This chapter examines three different open-source projects, authoring tools, Bitsy and Twine, and scripting language, ink, with a focus on how their communities have played a role in their perception and longevity.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

    Daniel Cox

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  1. Daniel Cox
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Correspondence to Daniel Cox .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Bournemouth University, Poole, Dorset, UK

    Charlie Hargood

  2. University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    David E. Millard

  3. National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Alex Mitchell

  4. Hochschule RheinMain, Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany

    Ulrike Spierling

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Cox, D. (2022). We Make How We Learn: The Role of Community in Authoring Tool Longevity. In: Hargood, C., Millard, D.E., Mitchell, A., Spierling, U. (eds) The Authoring Problem. Human–Computer Interaction Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05214-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05214-9_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-05213-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-05214-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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