[Typo3-documentation] Quit talking and start chalking!

[Karsten Dambekalns]

Hi everyone, hi JoH,

On 2004-08-01, JoH <info at cybercraft.de> wrote:
> OK, folks!
 ...
> Well, guys'n'gals!
> Stop talking and start chalking the cues to pocket the some balls.
>
> And please: DON'T discuss what I wrote! Accept it as an incitement ...

Ok, I'll *not* follow this, because I don't see how something can be
done without asking you some things first.


> We have over 500(!) posts in this newsgroup against a few docs on
> wiki.typo3.org that deserve the name "documentation" (i.e.: tt_news, typo3
> installation basics).

I fully agree with you on that. The last days have shown that there is
such thing as 'extreme discussing' :/

> Why is there no real project-manager or team leader?
> Someone who coordinates things and simply MAKES the rules instead of
> discussing them.

True. There needs to be consensus, but AFAIK there is a doc team,
those are the people to set up the rules they think need to be set up.

One example is the stylesheet thing: There have been a few people
(including me) that offered help. I would have set up a new CSS by
now, if someone would have been telling me "do it, it won't be
discarded" and "send it to XYZ, he will add it to the wiki setup". As
it seems noone knows who set all this up?!?

Ok, now's the time to critisize some of the things you wrote:

> 1. A wiki is the worst thing I have ever seen when it comes to create
> something like "better documentation" since everbody is allowed to write
> what he likes wherever he likes in the style he likes and as often as he
> likes. This is more than just counterproductive - it's a waste of time and
> resources.

Wrong. As soon as there is something to append to, or fix in, a wiki
is a good thing.

I think the wiki will prove to be useful as soon as there is someting
that can be improved in a few minutes - then people will do it. As
long as there is virtually nothing, only those will work on it, that
would work on documentation using OOo. That is part of the problem.

> What is the reason for this wiki-crap?
> Something that needs to be documented before you can use it to create a
> documentation is IMHO no option.

Well, the current docs are written using OOo. And guess what - there
is a manual about this, and a template document. So this would be no
option, too?

> And IMHO you can add as many stylesheets as you like, the usability of such
> a wiki will stay what it is - crappy!

Why is the usability crappy? Just a rethorical question to show that
statements without examples or explanations are not very useful ;)



Ok, if you like to, this thread can now end. Right, I wrote something
about asking you a few things: Do you have any suggestions how to
pocket some balls? Not using the wiki (as you clearly said it's
crappy)? Would you help setting up something else (the TYPO3-based
approach you suggested)?

I for one will start writing things in the wiki, everything can be
moved elsewhere later... (Just don't ask me what I wrote in a few days
- as everyone else there are things that need to be done first.)

Well, may everybody have a nice weekend!
Karsten