[linux-audio-user] some thoughts about Linux audio software documentation

[John Check]

On Thursday 12 August 2004 06:05 pm, Lee Revell wrote:
> On Thu, 2004-08-12 at 17:50, Rick B wrote:
> > Dave Phillips wrote:
> >
> >     That is the state of most Linux documentation today, most of it is
> > out dated, and anyone who has used Linux for a time will realize that
> > anything older than 6 months *might* be wrong. It is easy to see where
> > the problem is within the Linux audio developers community, it is the
> > fact that most of the developers are coders as well as musicians, and
> > thus have their proverbial plate full with two very time consuming
> > pursuits, and have no time left to keep the documentation up to date.
> > The fact that the development process is so fast just compounds the
> > problem. The answer to the problem might be for the developers to have a
> > book (an indepth manual if you will) published for them, once the
> > application gets to a certian stage of maturity, that the public can buy.
> > This would also provide a means for the developers to allow the
> > application to be free, and still make a living. If a person doesn't
> > wan't to buy the book they don't have to, they are perfectly free to sort
> > through the online documentation. With other apps (cubase,protools,etc.)
> > you have to buy the app and the book.
>
> What is needed is for non-coders who understand the apps to write the
> documentation, "power users" in the Windows-speak (I always hated the
> term).  The developers are glad to help you if you have a question like
> "I am writing some docs for $FOO, why does it do $BAR, and what is the
> $BAZ menu for?".  This is a great way for non-coders to contribute to
> open source.


Precisely.

>
> The problem is there are a lot more people willing to write code for
> free than write user documentation for free.  Many developers are not
> native English speakers, so in many cases it is much harder to write
> good English user docs than write code!  Developer documentation is much
> easier because there is already a common language.
>

Anecdote: "The code is the best doco" - Saw some comments written in another 
language, the translation was something along the lines of "this should work"

> If you are a user willing to contribute documentation, the developers
> will bend over backwards to help you, because good user documentation

Not always true. You may have a system that's sufficiently different that they 
can't help you or they may show a prejudice thats a turn off (say QT vs GTK) 
when you ask question. Human nature and circumstance aren't negated by the 
GPL. Last time I checked, coders were people too.

> equals fewer spurious bug reports and happier users.
>

Absolutely. There's a conundrum there with regard to treating every user as a 
documentation contributor though. Some users are just users and for them it's 
tough shit.  

> Lee