The db4o core was not the only thing to undergo huge changes with the introduction of db4o version 6.0. If you'd been following my blog, then you'll know that I've been working on a project called CS-Wiki. CS-Wiki is a new Community-Server-integrated wiki system which integrates directly into the community package that we are using to drive developer.db4o.com. You already know from our 2006 dUC in London that the new ProjectSpaces are wiki-driven; now the db4o documentation is entirely wiki-driven as well.
http://developer.db4o.com/docs/
Right now, we've focused on porting our old documentation into this new system without losing anything along the way. We've also been able to enhance it for db4o 6.0 and start refactoring the topic arrangement. The new topic arrangement will be able to better grow as we add more/better content in the future. The old system would have been painful to make such dramatic reorganizations. One of my favorite improvements to content organization is the move from "chapter-based" documentation to more atomic "topic-based" documentation. By breaking the need for topics to flow from one to another, it gives the reader the opportunity to drill into any topic with as much detail as they desire, or to skip entire sections of the documentation which they don't care to read. Previously, the reader would have to skim through each chapter to find information worth reading.
But this is just the start of something beautiful. You can look forward to all the community-driven features that you've come to expect from db4objects: Public Editing, Commenting, and Change Notifications. Some of these features are still in development, but rest assured that they are on their way. Community-integrated search will also be coming soon, a first for db4o documentation. (though most users knew that you could grep the html docs) The API reference is still in JavaDocs and CHM formats, but we'll be working on getting those ported as quickly as possible.
One of the features that drove me crazy was the ability to generate offline documentation from the wiki content. So you will still continue to recieve HTML, PDF, and CHM documentation snapshots with each db4o build. As of now, the HTML export is the only one that is complete. PDF and CHM will be coming shortly. Not only that, but when reading online, you can filter the visible content so as to show only Java- or .NET-related content. This filter system will be improved upon shortly.
Looking down the road: Open-source does not mean free. But it does mean transparent and participatory. You get to see every aspect of the db4objects operation. You can now file test cases, start public projects, and ask/answer product questions. But we are especially excited about the second part: community participation. By the time 6.0 is released to production, we will allow you, the users, to publish tutorials, walkthroughs, demos, and any other form of documentation directly into the Resources section of this site. You'll also be able to directly comment on or modify the db4o core documentation if you find any discrepancies or absences. This is the true result of the migration to a CS-Wiki-based documentation system. For now, if you have any comments on documentation topics, please post them to the db4o user forum.
Documentation 2.0 is not only about serving you a better product, but also providing you a channel to participate in and contribute to your favorite ODBMS. Also, you can download the full source code for the entire wiki system from the CS-Wiki project home page: http://developer.db4o.com/ProjectSpaces/view.aspx/Wiki.