Ubuntu Docteam problems post string freeze

[Matthew Thomas]

On 8 Oct, 2005, at 12:01 AM, Robert Stoffers wrote:
> ...
> There have been several bugs filed lately, some duplicates, for several
> known issues with our documentation. Mostly it has been a problem that
> is caused by the fact we are writing about software that is still 
> having changes made to it.
>
> One other noticeable problem was with the name of the next release of 
> Ubuntu, Dapper Duck, in that we didn't know what it was going to be 
> called until after string freeze.

Nor should you have to! The idea that the help for an operating system 
should need to mention the *codename* for the *next release* is truly 
bizarre. Please mention this in the Rationale section of the BoF notes 
<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/AutomaticUpgrade>.

> ...
> My solution to this problem is simple: ubuntu-docs shouldn't be 
> included in the initial release of each new version of Ubuntu, but 
> instead pushed out as an update after release.

I can think of four other options:
1.  Make the feature freeze earlier and/or harder.
2.  Make the documentation freeze later and/or softer.
3.  Increase the number of writers working in the time between those
     two freezes.
4.  Reduce the scope of the documentation.

None of these are mutually exclusive.

-- 
Matthew Paul Thomas
http://mpt.net.nz/