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Okay, I'm desperate. I've post requests for help in various groups for
several times now. So far except for some editorial comment, I've
received NO help at all.
The last complete version of Wishlist FAQ is posted on 2002-12-14. Right
now it's 2003-01-15, and I haven't finished the latest overhaul of the
FAQ, which started one week ago. Obviously the update is behind
schedule. What's not so obvious is that my new year wish was to withdraw
my involvement in mozilla.org. However, no one has offered help to take
over the FAQ, and I do want to let my hard work with the FAQs go wasted.
So... here's the deal, I need someone to take over the editing before
the Chinese New Year Eve (January 31st)
Following my documentation project roadmap
<http://www.geocities.com/stolenclover/backstage/mozilla-org/docs/mdp/>
which I think should help the MDP project get started, the following is
what I think should happen:
1 a coordinator to coordinate all work on a document
2 many writers who will write very short notes
such notes should be self containing
such notes should be a MS Word document or a text document
NO HTML yet!!!!
such notes must be notes -- it should have grammer & spelling errors
and NO Style Guide!!!
3 every once a while, the coordinator collects all notes and pass a
digested version for review
again, no HTML or style guide
4 when we have enough material, the coordinator make a draft
5 we publish it for review
6 we format it into HTML
7 we pass it on for another review
8 we publish
We had some wonderful works with the 1.0 FAQ from Pat Gunn and Red Drag
Diva. Unfortunately from what I read in the past posts in the
documenation forum, the FAQs are pretty much solo works. I don't know if
that is the reason, but the two have disappeared for some time now.
Anyway, doing FAQ or other documentation is non-trivial work, and
authors and editors will need as much help as possible.
There had been A LOT OF discussion on how such help could come about,
but so far nothing of material significance has happened (no, I don't
like Zope). I wrote in the roadmap:
On the organizational level, this means that, instead of trying
to introduce new ideas to many project teams, we will focus on
small projects and project members will naturally carry over
what they have learned to other projects.
So, here's another proposal: [dictator mode on] let's do it MY way this
time. If it does not work out with the FAQ, let's try something else.
Okay? [dictator mode off]
Here's another thing: bug 187393 "Mozilla 1.3 FAQ."
<http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=187393>. Now the 1.3b
deadline is coming. I hope the Wishlist FAQ can be finished quickly and
carried over into a complete Mozilla 1.3 FAQ. If the FAQ could not be
finished on time, then Mozilla 1.3 official release should default it's
Home page to an empty 1.3 start page (see www.mozilla.org/start/1.0/) so
that eventually we will have some real end user documentation.
Regardless of whether you can help or not, or whether you agree with me,
I would like to end with two important remarks:
1. Mozilla is a development software, BUT end user documenation IS
a development issue. We have the n.p.m.* forums. We have Buzilla.
And we have IRC. All of which meant for developer discussion. But
look at what happens when we have so little end user help files
(and worse, Mozilla 1.0.x never defaults its Home page to
moz-org/start/1.0)? These forums are filled with end user
questions that are taking valuable time from programmers and QA.
If we want efficient development, we need end user documentation.
2. If documentation project contributors ever want the project to go
forward, we need some coordination now, even when we do not agree
on how it's going to happen. If we do not come together, then
together we fail.
Okay, that's my New Year wish. I hope something good will happen.
dwx, born year of goat
