RE: [linux-audio-dev] How non-programmers use documentation.

[STEFFL, ERIK *Internet* (SBCSI)]

  most of the below seems quite reasonable, I just have few comments:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kevin Conder [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> 
...
> 08. Non-programmers don't want detailed explanations, they want simple
> answers. 

  then you can only do simple things... as simple as possible but not
simpler (forgot who said that...)

...
> 16. Non-programmers that I talked to have never sent a bug report or a
> feature request to a software company. The idea of sending 
> one directly to
> a programmer or a technical writer was a completely foreign concept.

  this is one area where non-programmers should change if they want good
programs. communication is crucial, even more so in free software world. Lot
of free programs provide fairly good support for bug reporting and public
bug repositories where user can check whether the problem they encountered
is already being worked... there are irc channels, newsgroups, mailing lists
for various programs there are of incredible value to anybody (programmers
and non-programmers) who want to use some program. The feedback is crucial
for:

  - bugs being fixed
  - features being implemented
  - user's understanding of program functionality

  it's just a matter of foreign concept becoming a familiar one...

        erik