On Fri, 23 Feb 2001, Rodent of Unusual Size wrote:
> Only if, as you say, you want to re-order the items. I do not > regard that as a priority, personally. The FAQ has been re-ordered > once in the last four years. This will make twice. I can say, however, that I have wanted to reorder things more, but I have not done so because I didn't want to mess up numbering. In any case, I'm perfectly willing to go with your opinion on this one. I see the point. > > > What are we losing with this? Well, as I see it, one of the primary > > reasons that the 1.3 FAQ is unmanageable is this requirement. > > Um, who has said it is unmanageable? I did ;-) > I think there have been > noises about there being too much stuff in it, but that is a > 'function' issue, not a 'form' one. > I guess this is a point on which we disagree. I would like to be relatively liberal in adding questions to the FAQ, because I think that this makes it a more powerful resource for users. However, if we do this in the current form, then it will soon be back to the state that the 1.3 FAQ is in. I have not done any formal usability studies (obviously), but the evidence that I do have strongly suggests that people find the 1.3 FAQ very hard to use. You and I know the FAQ backwards and forwards, so finding something in it is pretty trivial. For someone who has just an inkling of what they are trying to ask, the task is much more difficult. Having a clear and simple 'form' will help these people a great deal to accomplish the 'function' of the FAQ. > > > I'm certainly not going to create some new SSI monstrosity. > > If you are implying that the current FAQ is such, then I take personal > exception to this remark. I apologize if this statement offends you. I did not intend to criticize the particular coding. I just meant to express my dislike for the added complexity to which this gives rise. I am a big fan of clear and simple, both from the developer and end-user perspective. I think the current FAQ is failing on this. I do understand the desire for a single-page version of the FAQ. Perhaps we could hear some other opinions about whether the new design that I have made is worth the trouble. If people think it is not much better than the old design, then we just stick with the old design. If people think that it is significantly better, then we find some way to make a single page version (even if it involves another monstrosity ;-). I don't have too much invested in this. I've so far spent more time arguing about the relative merits of the design than I spent actually creating it. Joshua.
