This page tracks website deficiencies without confusing active development with absence. x64base is a live research and hobby project; some gaps are real documentation defects, while others are lanes that intentionally remain marked alpha, planned, or review-needed.
Reading deficiencies correctly
| Reported issue | Current interpretation | Correction path |
|---|---|---|
| Onboarding is not portable enough | Real documentation deficiency. Local paths are useful evidence, but public quickstarts need clone/build/test examples. | Keep local paths on proof pages; make Getting Started portable. |
| Curriculum is skeletal | Real deficiency in public pedagogy, not a lack of source material. Many .dts examples already exist. | Promote .dts scripts into labs with prerequisites, expected output, mutation status, and review notes. |
| Visuals and diagrams are uneven | Mixed. Some diagrams and screenshots exist; some older graphics are evidence artifacts, not final design assets. | Curate diagrams by page role: proof image, teaching diagram, architecture map, or publication graphic. |
| Roadmap/status could be clearer | Partly fixed by Current Work Lanes and Website Matrix, but still needs a reader-friendly roadmap. | Add a compact roadmap table with current, next, and collaboration-needed columns. |
| Prior work and citations are thin | Real academic-presentation deficiency. | Add a Prior Work / Bibliography page for xBase, DBF, FoxPro, Clipper, Harbour, VFP, indexing, database education, and documentation systems. |
| Contribution/onboarding is thin | Real collaboration deficiency. | Expand Onboarding and Contribution Guide with issue types, review rules, proof labels, and safe first tasks. |
| Manual generation is not visible enough | Under-development lane. Manualgen exists, but reviewed generated manuals should not be published before proof gates. | Publish generated manuals only after inventory, validation, dry-run, review, and version stamping. |
| Application UI DSL is missing | Planned feature lane, not a hidden completed feature. | Keep CREATE MENU/WINDOW/DIALOG examples under planned UI DSL until implemented. |
Correction lanes
1. Portable start path
Status: active correction.
- Keep Installation for detailed platform notes.
- Keep Quickstart focused on clone/build/run examples.
- Distinguish public GitHub checkout from Derald's local source tree and
C:\x64basestaging mirror.
2. DTS-to-lab promotion
Status: active correction.
The project already has many .dts examples. The website should classify them before promoting them:
| Class | Examples | Promotion rule |
|---|---|---|
| Safe observation | version.dts, workspace_load_x64_canary.dts, rel_enum_x64.dts | Good for beginner labs after expected output is recorded. |
| Index/order canaries | cnx_tag_smoke.dts, smartlist_order_matrix.dts, order_engine_shakedown.dts | Good for index lessons when backend state and diagnostics are explained. |
| Mutation canaries | mcc_mutation_*, calc_write_test.dts, commit_rollback_test.dts | Must require sandbox/disposable data and pre/post checks. |
| Metadata/SelfDoc scripts | cmdhelpchk_*, SOURCE_COMMENT_*, datadict_smoke.dts | Good for documentation-system lessons after proof labels are added. |
| Quarantine/legacy scripts | older regression and experimental scripts | Keep as historical evidence unless reviewed. |
3. Academic and education review
Status: opening soon.
The project is preparing to invite academic interest. Desired input includes:
- CS professors for algorithms, data structures, systems programming, runtime design, and language lessons.
- database professors for relational theory, DBF lineage, indexing, locking, triggers, buffering, and mutation safety.
- technical writing teachers for documentation standards, manual structure, comment collection, terminology, and student-facing explanations.
- general education specialists for prerequisites, accessibility, assessment, and the shape of the Laboratory Campus.
- instructors from different schools of learning to review whether lessons work through reading, repetition, diagrams, command practice, and project work.
4. Documentation proof gates
Status: active policy.
Website updates should retain the same proof classes used by the documentation matrix:
- runtime-evidenced
- source-evidenced
- help-catalog-evidenced
- generated-reviewed
- planned-or-in-progress
- review-needed
A missing polished lesson is a deficiency. A planned lane labeled planned is not a deficiency unless the site implies it is finished.
5. Roadmap cleanup
Status: next correction.
The site should add a short roadmap page with:
- current proven runtime surfaces.
- active beta/canary surfaces.
- planned lanes.
- academic-review requests.
- manual/publication gates.
6. Citation and prior-work layer
Status: next correction.
Add a Prior Work page and citation block covering:
- DBF-family file formats.
- xBase, dBASE, FoxPro, Clipper, Harbour, xHarbour, Alaska Xbase++, and XSharp context.
- database education and relational-model teaching.
- reproducible research and documentation-generation practices.
Operating rule
The site should be honest enough for academic review: do not hide unfinished work, but do not call unfinished work a product feature. Use lanes, proof labels, and examples to show exactly where the project stands.