Hi Gabriele,
> However - please note that the documentation is usually
intended
> for people that already know REBOL. What would really be
needed -
> other than a real View manual - is "medium" size example
scripts
> specifically annotated for beginners.
Each of us has different learning styles. For decades I've
tended to learn best in the way I was taught in my college
engineering courses, first learn the fundamental theory, the
physics, chemistry, math, etc., then while mastering them, learn
how to design and build. Theory is science; design is art.
Theory can be
learned from textbooks and lectures. Learning to design is
trickier, requiring the study of countless examples, and
performing endless "lab" exercises. My point is that for
learning
programming languages, probably because of my prior training and
old habits, I still prefer to learn via a similar approach.
First I want to understand in a fair amount of depth, the
workings of the language, then I like to study examples and
practice with them.
If, as with Rebol/View, I have little but examples to learn
from, I can only mimic those examples. I can't really extend
them very much, nor can I be very creative with the tool by
going much beyond the examples' boundaries and breaking new
ground.
For that, I also need the "theory of operation" (but not the
source code).
If I have both types of docs, then I have nearly everything I
need to
be much more creative and self-reliant.
I'm quite certain that many others have a similar preferred
learning style. I'm equally certain that large numbers of us are
more comfortable with a very different learning approach. Some
want
to have a lot of tutorials. While tutorials are helpful to me,
they're not
essential for me to learn effectively. It does seem to me though
that if we have
a good set of docs, including a user's guide, a reference
manual, and some tutorials
with a nice set of examples, then all of the bases are pretty
well covered for most
people, regardless of our individual styles. I'd rely more on
the manuals than
the tutorials and examples, while others would use the same
resources differently.
> Actually, Docs are the highest priority right now. What is
being
> very hard to do is finding someone to write them. You
need a
> writer (not just a programmer!), and he has to know REBOL
very
> well too.
I'm glad to hear that, Gabriele, but it surprises me since it's
not included in Carl's blog
concerning the near term priorities. Can we take that as an
official RT position on
the documentation issue? When might we be seeing a View 1.3
user's manual?
Best regards,
Bernie Schneider
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being
overwhelmed
by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try
it, you will
be lonely often and sometimes frightened. But no price is too
high to pay
for the privilege of owning yourself.
-- Friedrich Nietzsche --
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