Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] Re: documentation quality. (was Desktop Environments...)
From: Brian Redfern (bredfern_AT_calarts.edu)
Date: Thu Jul 04 2002 - 03:02:33 EEST
Yeah, documentation is super important, and in some ways I'd qualify as
someone who could write docs, but not program enough to contribute to a
c/c++ project (though I have my own php projects). I have a guide to
installing T's low latency kernel patches for Suse. Although I'm not good
enough at systems programming right now to actually write kernel patches
myself, I was able to figure out how to use it. The most successful
projects, like php owe a great part of their success to great
documentation. That being said, there are lots of projects that may be
small and run by young college students with perhaps limited social
skills, I've run across similar situations, but I've also run across some
of the nicest people I've met on the planet as well.
On Wed, 3 Jul 2002, Paul Davis wrote:
> >3. Programmers are usually very protective about their software's
> >quality and will closely examine every patch submitted to them. But
> >these same programmers will turn around and create a Wiki where any
> >kiddie can submit incorrect/confusing/contradictory documentation.
> >
> >I think all Open Source projects should have someone who handles
> >documentation. Don't set up a Wiki, you need someone who is
>
> Wiki's are not a substitute for the kind of work you've repeatedly
> volunteered to do Kevin. They augment it with direct, first hand
> experience, and they provide a way to get information submitted *and
> accessible* before the "official" documentation can incorporate the
> information.
>
> I would not want to read "documentation" on a tool that contained all
> the information I would hope to find on a Wiki - it wouldn't be very
> usable at all. Conversely, I'd be pissed off if a Wiki was the only
> place to find any documentation at all. So I think there is a role for
> both things.
>
> --p
>
>
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