--- Geoff Caplan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Jan, > > JS> section hosts very interesting information > JS> - the mailing list archives can be searched at > JS> <http://mindlube.com/cgi-bin/search-use-rev.cgi> > > That's good to know. So why the **** don't RunRev > link to it from > their archive page?? >
Well the list manager auto-generates all those html pages ; however, a direct link from the website, or better yet a transfer of the entire technology, would go a long way. > JS> For people who are just starting out, Dan Shafer > has > JS> written an excellent book (volume 1 available, > more on > JS> the way, published through Revolution Press) > JS> > <http://www.runrev.com/resources/shaferbook.shtml> > > This would be the next step, if I decide to go with > Rev. > In the meantime, you should be able to find cheap copies of HyperCard books in second-hand bookstores. > JS> The best news for the documentation is that you > can > JS> expect some serious changes for the best very > soon, as > JS> Runtime Revolution has made a commitment to > improving > JS> the documentation dramatically for the next > version -- > JS> so stay tuned ! > > I think they will have to, or they will stay a very > niche player. > Still, sounds as if they are at least aware of the > issue. > They are aware of the situation ; the main problem isn't that there's not enough documentation, but that it's too hard to find what you're looking for. Some time ago, they started including a Documentation search stack, which helps a lot as well ; but requires that you have an idea of what you're looking for and how it is called. Moreover, the current documentation is geared towards being a reference ; but doesn't really provide for other learning styles -- expect big changes soon ! > I recently tried to broker the sale of a good > software product to a > big (and very profitable) distributor. They liked > the product but > turned it down, because they felt it would cost too > much to document. > They typically allocate a substantial % of the > development budget for > the technical writing. They say that far too many > developers are more > interested in the code than the docs, which makes > their products > unviable no matter how good the code is... > > ------------------ > Geoff Caplan > Well, as I make my living as a programmer, I have to admit that documentation is less important to me than getting the darn thing to work properly. However, writing documentation is a bit of an art, and it's often better to have someone else write the docs, because this person is less likely to take for granted what the developer knows. If a program serves its purpose, then someone will turn up to try and explain how it works ; or someone else will program some alternative with a more accessible interface and better docs. Just the nature of the beast, I'd say. Jan Schenkel. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger. http://messenger.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ use-revolution mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution
