On Jan 13, 2007, at 2:11 AM, Sergei wrote:

>
> """Canglan писал(а):
> """
>> I'm actually more concerned about the documentation. It's not an easy
>> task yes, but if the documentation can be really enhanced then it  
>> will
>> boost the Cakephp community by quite a large margin. :-)
>
>
> Indeed. Cake's documentation sucks compared to Symfony's one, for
> example. I've learned about some things only from this group. Im not
> even talking about 1.2. God knows when it will be fully documented.

*Voice heard from the clouds*

Verily, verily I say unto you: not until the API is like unto a rock  
and solid unto me, will ye yet read those words!

*Clouds close up*

Seriously though, 1.2 manual is in the works, and wont be released  
until 1.2 code is no longer a moving target. I don't an absence of  
docs for a developer's release is out of the question. Let the API  
and the changelog guide you.

Interesting that you compare our documentation effort to Symfony's. I  
took a *quick* look just to get an idea of how we compare:

CakePHP                                                                 
110% Volunteer                                                  
5 Screencasts                                                   
2 Manual Tutorials, 40-50 Bakery Tutorials              
Online Manual, 23 Chapters, 141 Page PDF

Symfony
Sponsored by a French web agency
2 Screencasts
2 Official Tutorials
Online Manual, 13 chapters, 129 Pages Manual, 170 Pages tutorials  
(Basically about 170 pages of "How to..." sections)

<disclaimer>Unless I've missed something extremely significant,  
please don't make an effort to correct me here. This was a ten minute  
look, which is more that a first time user will often spend.</ 
disclaimer>

Since many Symfony tutorials appear in their "Symfony Book" manual,  
and ours appear in the Bakery, I'd say that at least the numbers look  
pretty even. Those numbers look even better when you consider that  
most tutorials are community contributed (and team approved), and the  
remainder of the docs are a *volunteer* effort. I have no idea if the  
Symfony docs people get paid, but I sure don't, and having a sponsor  
must lighten their load in some places.

Frankly, I'm tired of people making complaints about the  
documentation (or anything else, for that matter). Not because they  
are perfect, because they are truly far from that. Mostly because any  
criticism (especially vague criticism) that isn't followed with some  
effort to help is both useless and insulting. It's like walking into  
a friend's open party and complaining about the food–how its not as  
good as the company party across the street–and threatening to leave  
if the volunteers in the kitchen don't step it up a notch. I think  
Dr. Sani's comments are spot on.

Welcome to our party. If you'd like to make something better, we need  
your help. Log a ticket. Contact one of us to see where your talents  
are best focused.

I've fielded many "requests" from people wishing to help out with the  
docs, and in almost two years of my Cake efforts, there's only been a  
handful of people who have actually followed through. Saying you're  
willing to help and actually putting pen to paper has been a chasm a  
mile wide in my experience. And while blogging about CakePHP or  
starting your own efforts is helpful in a way, isn't better to  
contribute officially so your work is coming from the source? Why not  
put all that effort into one place, rather than spread across the  
Internet?

Here's hoping the new year will bring in more consideration and  
collaboration... before criticism.

-- John
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