This encouraging development prompts me to throw something into the mix that's been on my mind for a while.
1. It starts with Edward's Stupendous Aha about tests from months ago, which goes roughly: A good test is both (a) an illustration of something the program should do; (b) an ability to detect if the program isn't doing it. In this light, tests appear as helpers toward understanding rather than obstacles to be overcome. 2. Then there's a perennial question: Why don't more people use Leo (or more of its capabilities)? In my mind (and there are those who agree with this), one part of the answer is that the documentation is hard to use. 3. So: ** What are the tests for documentation? ** Saying that documentation needs tests implies saying that it should *do* something, not just *contain* something. I suggest that at the top level what it should do is: (a) Invite. Persuade potential users that Leo offers something they want, that their current tools don't supply. And that they can get at least a working version of what they want with a modest investment of effort. Possible subjects for invitations: Leo as a whole; scripts; ILeo (how is it better than using %cpaste in a separate IPython window?); vi emulation. (b) Guide. (aka Tutorial?) Given someone who has decided to invest some effort, take her through the steps to reach some worthwhile goal. Perhaps best implemented as a set of plateaus, each plateau having a set of signposts for choices of where to be guided next. (c) Be consulted. Someone has started to use Leo regularly has a detailed question (How do I change the font size? How do I make python indent using 3 spaces instead of 4?) and a generic question: How do I navigate the documentation to answer the detailed question? For the first of my examples, the best I can come up with is "Poke around in leoSettings for something that says 'font' and play with changing that in myLeoSettings"; for the second example, "I have no idea". Of course, if I knew Leo better I could have said more sensible things here. Chicken and egg. Cheers, geoff -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "leo-editor" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/leo-editor. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
