On Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 2:01 AM, Andrew Douglas Pitonyak <and...@pitonyak.org> wrote: > > On 12/18/2012 03:25 PM, Rob Weir wrote: >> >> As we wait, patiently, for the new doc list to be created, it might be >> worth having a quick discussion about priorities. > > > May I assume that the ODF Authors site and methods will not be used (initial > intent was to have both supported) and that a separate effort and site will > be used? If yes, then:
My assumptions are that the work is done on Apache lists, wikis and website, that the work products are published at Apache, under the Apache License. I'm not sure what the ODF Authors "methods" are, but I have no assumptions on whether they should be used or not. > > 1. Decide what to produce (content such as FAQ, User guides, etc) > 2. Establish target output types (ODT files, PDF, eBook, Web pages) 2a) Establish editing format that can be transformed into the target output types. > 3. Pick a tool and decide how it will be used; for example, if using AOO, is > it one big document or using Master Documents? The modularity aspect is key. For example, if we write self-contained topics then we can assemble them into different larger works. So imagine we had a topic for every menu item and dialog in the product. Put that together, along with conceptual topics (like "why styles are important") and you have a comprehensive reference manual. But a subset of this material might be brought together, along with new specific target, for a shorter work, "Writing your Dissertation with Apache OpenOffice", or "Apache OpenOffice for Science and Engineering", or "Apache OpenOffice for Microsoft Office Users". Some might be purely text. Some might have video demonstrations to accompany them for key techniques. This old TED talk gives the key insight, I think: http://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html The question should not be how to create the single perfect user's guide that makes the most people happy. It should be (IMHO) how do we efficiently create many guides that fit our diverse user base even better than any single guide could do. > 4. Establish a workflow 4a) NL translation should be explicitly considered when defining tooling, workflows, etc. > 5. Create uniform templates > 6. Document how volunteers work > 7) Establish a feedback loop with our users/readers > Now, for each produced document, probably the most difficult part is the > initial outline for each document. > > > -- > Andrew Pitonyak > My Macro Document: http://www.pitonyak.org/AndrewMacro.odt > Info: http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php >
