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Date:      Mon, 5 Aug 2002 11:01:43 -0700 (PDT)
From:      Ross Lippert <ripper@eskimo.com>
To:        sziszi@bsd.hu
Cc:        freebsd-doc@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: docs/41106: FreeBSD Handbook lacks "Desktop Applications" chapter.
Message-ID:  <200208051801.LAA28126@eskimo.com>
In-Reply-To: <20020805162311.GA2071@fonix.adamsfamily.xx> (message from Szilveszter Adam on Mon, 5 Aug 2002 18:23:11 %2B0200)

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>Some categories would have no coverage at all since not many people use
>it. (and none of them bothered to do a writeup for us, saving it perhaps
>to a more professional audience) This would distort the picture
>needlessly: while we have over 6500 ports at present, only a fraction
>would even get a space in the limelight.
I would argue that the picture is currently distorted.  My example is
three ports, xmcd, xcdplayer and workman, all of which claim to be CD
players.  In that sense they seem equally functional.

But xcdplayer is pretty hideous, xmcd requires a big motif download
and has a config script you need to navigate, and workman just seems
to work fine out of the box.  These are my experiences, not my
reviews.  I would rather have first checked each of these guys out in
a "port mongers" database to see which once had any love.  I'll bet I
would not have found xcdplayer in there.  I bet I would have found
workman.

BTW let me re-iterate that I would not like to see "reviews".  If you
don't have something nice to say about something, there is a very good
chance you just didn't understand how to use it -- so don't say
anything at all.  Be a "monger", not a reviewer.  And unlike a review
if there is something negative you have to say like "dvd play didn't
always work" that should be taken as a "I wish someone would tell me
how to make it work and I will change this sentence if they do."

>Therefore I suggest that any such experience be gathered in a sort of
>diary, with exact version numbers and dates so that people could at once
>see what they are dealing with. Also, I have seen several "independent"
I think your issues with version are very valid, and also speaks to what
Tom was saying too about maintenance.  Let's be sure it is a matter of
moderation/good submission to include the FreeBSD and port versions as
accurately as possible.  Depending on the port, hardware version might
be necessary (I'm thinking video playback where card and XFree86 version
are very relevant).

>date of submittal in order for the link to make any sense. While this
>may be a bit over the hump, you get the idea. Once a link is set, people
>generally don't care if it is alive.
To link or to add:
OK, so let's consider this highly experimental.  If in a years time, it
seems to be working out, then we should look for incorporation.  Yes,
it should not be a one-man-show, but it can start that way.  If we don't get
to something nice which cannot be added to the doc project, then that's it.
Perhaps, since Tom has indicated good reasons for just linking with no
incorporation, it will come to a vote.

>The other such outlet is the FreeBSD Diary.
>(http://www.freebsddiary.org/). It has an astonishing number of articles
I didn't know the diary had expanded.  I'll have to check it out.  Maybe
you are right then and a forum already exists of this sort.


-r



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