Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 23:15:16 -0600 (CST) From: John Kenagy <jktheowl@bga.com> To: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com> Cc: Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com>, Studded <Studded@dal.net>, FreeBSD-doc@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Documentation plan? Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.95q.980316222118.316C-100000@barnowl.roost.net> In-Reply-To: <27422.890094715@time.cdrom.com>
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If I may, Having followed this thread a little, and having volunteered to do a bit on NIS at Doug White's prodding (I ask too many questions ;-)), I would say that the lack of an editor holds back the overall FreeBSD project. (Don't anyone get mad now.) The on line documentation, while good, puts a new user into heavy sensory overload. It did to me, when I first started with FreeBSD. I sympathize with all the newbies who ask the obvious questions. Its obvious to me - now, but not then, nor when I venture onto new ground. I am not an expert by any means, but my thrashings getting NIS to work gives me an insight into what the new user will bump into. I feel I would like to help by telling someone else how to set NIS up (or whatever else), but I'm not really a technical writer. So, I need an editor. This is a volunteer project and I would feel more comfortable putting something together then having it gone through by an editor, or an editorial committee. Maybe people might be more forthcoming if they felt they could rely on that. I don't mean a professional editor, just a different pair of eyes. A little distance makes a huge difference. I would even presume to vounteer to be one of those pairs. I guess this is a long winded (I did say I need an editor) way of agreeing with you. It would also give the documentation an overall cohesive feel. Thanks for all your efforts! John On Mon, 16 Mar 1998, Jordan K. Hubbard wrote: > > I don't think you can. Trying to impose that sort of discipline on > > the handbook is equivalent to tell the hackers when to commit their > > code. It's a volunteer operation, and people will continue to do > > things their way, frequently with the policy of content over style. > > I wasn't suggesting that the original authors have this imposed on > them, simply that an "editor" needed to go through and turn the > original copy into something closer to what makes a decent handbook. > > Considering the difference in quality with the results, I don't think > that anyone would object, nor does the average engineer feel as > strongly about their textual output (which most feel sucks anyway and > only do it as a last resort) as they do about their code. > > Jordan > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-doc" in the body of the message > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-doc" in the body of the message
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