On Wed, 15 Jan 1997 22:40:34 -0500 "Daniel S. Barclay"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
>> From: Fabien Ninoles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>> On Tue, 14 Jan 1997, Daniel S. Barclay wrote:
>>
>> > However, how are users supposed to find out about those things?
>> > (Not to say your suggestion is bad, but to address how to make
>that
>> > information easier to find.)
>>
>> What about a "Tip of the day" package in place of fortune
>> (just kidding ;)
>
>Good. :-) I HATE that "feature" of Windows 95. (I want a f**cking
>manual
>so I can look up what I need now and/or so I can read whole sections
>and know
>I know how to do whatever comes up in the future, without having to
>wait
>for random tip selection to have covered everything in the tips
>list--which
>is pretty short anyway.)
>
>Oh...yeah; sorry. Okay.
>#undef HATE_MICROSOFT_MODE
>
>
>
>
>
>> >
>> > Several comments / suggestions / questions / other ramblings, some
>directly
>> > on this, and some on documentation more generally:
>> >
>> > 1. I wish more old things pointed to new things (new things that
>replace or
>> > just enhance them), especially in manual pages (or
>wherever we think
>> > users usually look for definitive documentation).
>> >
>> > (You can find out you're doing things the wrong way or an
>old way
>> > by mentioning it on a mailing list, but that knowledge
>(from people
>> > who know about newer things) doesn't get captured in the
>written
>> > documentation as much as it might.)
>>
>> That's why Archive Mailing List are for. Did you suggest we should
>packed
>> it for local use and search?
>
>No, I wasn't suggesting that.
>
>Hmm. No, I don't think I'd want that--too much to search through and
>I don't
>think you could search it very reliably.
>
>
>
>>
>> > I know a new package can't modify an existing manual page
>> > (especially when you haven't even loaded the package on
>your system
>> > yet), but...
>> >
>> > 2. ...maybe creators and maintainers of new packages could ask
>maintainers
>> > (at least of documentation) of older packages to add links
>to the
>> > manual pages (etc.)
>>
>> I didn't undrestand your point here.
>
>If command "old_simple_x" is superseded by "new_fancy_x", then ideally
>the documentation for old_simple_x that a user might run into (e.g.,
>the
>manual page) would say "don't forget that now there is new_fancy_x you
>might
>want to use instead."
>
>I _have_ seen that on a few Unix manual pages or somewhere similar
>(maybe
>GNU info pages for the C library, documenting routines that still
>exist
>but for which better replacements exist.)
>
>Obviously, not much of this is going to happen, at least not in
>internal
>documentation.
>
>Some documents, such as the HOWTO documents, do get updated a while.
>Maybe something based on or connected to them would be good.
>
>
>> > 3. Keep in mind that it's hard to keep up with
>constantly-changing
>> > documentation. That is, a new user probably would read
>all
>> > the HOWTOs, README files, etc., to get started, but after
>that,
>> > it's impossible to re-read everything just to find the
>changes.
>> >
>> > I would think that direct-lookup on-line documentation
>like manual
>> > pages or GNU info pages would be used on a continuing
>basis, so
>> > I would hope that all new information would make it into
>that
>> > reference documentation, and hopefully a few pointers to
>new,
>> > alternative, or add-on things could be included too.
>>
>> That's why Changelogs exists.
>
>I'm trying to find a way to consolidate the information. If I read a
>manual page for something, then I also have to check the /usr/doc
>directory...and any GNU info pages...and then I have to get the source
>package to check the ChangeLog (or are ChangeLogs included in binary
>Debian packages).
>
>That remind me of another documentation problem resulting from not
>thinking
>about how the software is installed:
>
>The diald manual page refers the reader to diald.h. Now why should I
>have
>download and install the diald source package just to learn which bits
>get which debugging information? Not a big or stupid mistake or
>anything,
>but it appears that the author was only thinking of the case in which
>users build diald themselves, and have the source code lying around.
>
>If we thought a little bit more about what we're doing...
>(I've seen a number of cases of little things that could have been
>better with just a little thought.)
>
>(Is there any documentation policy document, either for Debian or for
>Linux generally, to which I should contribute any useful ideas I might
>have?)
>
>
>
>> >
>> > Oh...whatever.
>>
>> Nevermind! Debian, IMNSHO, has one of the best documentation of all
>> Debian Distribution cause we make more than just put the docs from
>each
>> package, we corrected them and add to them.
>>
>> But criticizing help us (the maintainers) to make a better
>distribution.
>> Just don't forget to be polite and patient (We are only volunteers).
>
>> If you can wait, put your hands on then!
>
>Wait! That "whatever" was about whatever other thoughts I had that
>weren't
>clear or which I couldn't get written down--not about Debian.
>
>
>Daniel
>
>
>--
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>
Just for kicks, I went into Windoze95's brilliant ; ) regedit (I just
love how it loads in 5MB of drivers for programs I don't have anymore)
and clicked through the tree like this:
My Computer ---
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
SOFTware
Micro$oft
Windows
Current Version
explorer
tips
[hows that for ease of use!]
Now you can edit all those wonderful tips, for when windoze 95 starts up.
Your family will love you for it. 'I love you honey' goes over better
than:
"You can minimize neck strain by positioning your monitor at eye
level."-- I hope this isn't a copyrighted phrase.
Well that all I have to say!
Windows[n.]- another pane in the glass.
Want a laugh and learn about me: http://www.ccil.org/~wood/
Have a great day/night whatever, I don't seem know 1 from the other.
--
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