Chat page about custom booking thing

Booking Software Discussion page

To use discusions put the Round (like turns each) of discussion, and an identifier (your name)

NW r1 :

• get "something" up fast.

By tomorrow I plan to have made

• a mock up for the lasercutter alone
• you arrive at a page which shows a text list of bookings ("Tomorrow, tuesday 27th - 15:00 > 17:00 'nw probably in for 1hr but might be late'")
• at the top, you add an entry. The computer tries to understand date info from the text, otherwise you need to write 'in a fixed format' like "20:00 2020/10/29". Once the coputer understands the times, your booking is made.
• If i can, i'll make those bookings editable. So you click it, and can change the dates.
• all changes are logged. Not with an IP, just the fact it was changed. If there are disputes we can create users etc (later).

If this sounds crap to you, it might not be as bad as you think. Computers are very good at understanding "written times" so "tomorrow 6pm" or "+1" or "in half an hour" are all normally fine. Also this system allows us to 'get on' and provide a solid basis for a whole host of 'next level' stuff which suits us better, detailed next:

Custom system is able (in the future) to:

• pencilled-in bookings (not hard bookings)
• new 'no keys' users being able to mark that they'd like access / tuition
• deadlines - "I have to do X by 5pm"
• move bookings, edit them, extend them
• put notices up about the machine / notes (like C19 specific rules)
• communicate from one user to the next "it's not cutting right, see what you think"

LATER or deeper:

• rota cleaning / maintenance + schedule me
• see how much time each user has been on
• if disputes arise, then you can add users/ passwords, time limits, credits on how much you're allowed per week/month/year, credits on if you allowed somebody else to take your booking
• book people in for training
• get people to cut /print things for you when they're in (like drop files that can be printed)
• machine specific status / discussion pages. [wiki?]

at it's most basic

'book equiptment' goes to a webpage with a choice of bookable areas/machines. You click one, it shows you the next booked events in time order (a list of text events). At the top you can add a new booking. You type into a box, and the computer tries to understand the text (computers can do this surprisingly well). You can book any amount of time, and simply add text with your name.

• no log in
• no users
• no limits
• changes are logged though, so as to have a backbone for disputes ("i didn't change that")

IF there are problems or abuses, then we solve those problems with restrictions, rules, regulations, etc.