A command-line utility that extends the multi writing and publishing functionalities of the [etherpad](http://etherpad.org/) by exporting the pads in multiple formats.
*Etherpump* is a fork of [*etherpump*](https://gitlab.constantvzw.org/aa/etherpump), a command line tool written by [Michael Murtaugh](http://automatist.org/) that converts etherpad pages to files. This fork is made out of curiosities in the tool, a wish to study it and shared sparks of enthusiasm to use it in different situations within Varia.
Etherpump is a stretched version of etherpump. It is a playground in which we would like to add features to the initial tool that diffuse actions of *dumping* into *pumping*. So most of all, etherpump is a work-in-progress, exploring potential uses of etherpads to edit, structure and publish various types of content.
etherpump is a tool that is used from the command line. It dumps all pads of one etherpad installation to a folder, saving them as different text files, such as plain text and HTML. It also creates an index file, that allows one to easily navigate through the list of pads. etherpump follows a document-driven idea of publishing, which means that it converts pads as database entries into pads as files. This seems to be a redundant act of copying, but is actually an important in-between step that allows for many different publishing projects and experiments.
We started to get to know etherpump through various editions of Relearn and/or the worksessions organized by Constant. Collaborative writing on an etherpad has been an important ingredient for these situations. The habit of using pads branched into the day-to-day practice of Varia, where we use etherpads for all sorts of things, ranging from organising remote-meetings with 10+ people, to writing and designing PDF documents collaboratively.
After installing etherpump on the Varia server, we collectively decided to not want to publish pads by default. Discussions in the group around the use of etherpads, privacy and ideas of what publishing means, led to a need to have etherpump only start the indexing work after it recognizes a `__PUBLISH__` marker on a pad. We decided to work on a `__PUBLISH__ vs. __NOPUBLISH__` branch of etherpump, which we now fork into **etherpump**.
