Getting Started Guide - Looking for Feedback/QA

Tue Feb 17 21:11:34 UTC 2009

Where is this list? I am on the DocTeam Wiki and do not see it under System
Documentation or Wiki. I do see that under reviewing, that this list is
listed as the place to provide comments about Ubuntu documentation. Is it
hidden under a multitude of links?

On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 11:03 PM, Ekaterina G. Potapova <egeomar at mail.ru>wrote:

>  I
>
>> look forward to contributing to Ubuntu.
>>
> I'm very new at Ubuntu so I can hardly advice anything, but It seems to me
> that there are many tasks for DocTeam and you can choose something people do
> need at the moment and work on it. Sorry for introducing such a commonplace
> idea.
> Katya
>
>
>> On Feb 17, 2009 10:47pm, "Ekaterina G. Potapova" <egeomar at mail.ru> wrote:
>>  > I want to add several words to the discussion, if it's possible. I'm
>> quite new to Ubuntu as a whole and to DocTeam in particular. But I have
>> experience in tech writing for many different companies, so I think I can
>> judge a bit the quality of the Ubuntu docs. And actually since I started
>> contributing, I  appreciate  greatly the way the workflow is organized and
>> the way people work. So the idea that documentation is the weakest point and
>> that it needs some revolutionary changes seems to me very doubtful or even
>> absurd.
>>  >
>>  > Thanks,
>>  >
>>  > Katya
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Avi Hein wrote:
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >   >
>>  >
>>  > OSS Watch - http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/documentation.xml
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Actually, this is an article about docu mentation in general and
>> discusses
>>  >
>>  > issues on management.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Is Documentation Holding Open Source Back? -
>>  >
>>  > http://www.devx.com/opensource/Article/11839
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > This is arguably an article discussing HCI principles rather than
>> managing
>>  >
>>  > or writing documentation. Its also almost entirely mute because it
>> neglects
>>  >
>>  > the fact that the predominant method for new users is to Google rather
>> than
>>  >
>>  > follow a document hierarchy. He also repeatedly states that its an
>>  >
>>  > unscientific and unstructured approach to appraising documentation.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Linux.com wrote about the admirable FLOSS manual project
>>  >
>>  > (http://www.linux.com/feature/155205): "Documentation is one area in
>> which free/libre/open source software (FLOSS) is weakest." That is what I
>> meant, but we are working to improve this.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Don't even get me started on this.  I had dealings with this project in
>> the
>>  >
>>  > last run of the Desktop Training Team and their documentation is not
>> really
>>  >
>>  > any different to ours.  Its just the delivery method that is better (at
>>  >
>>  > least until Moin supports PDF generation on the fly).
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > --> As I mentioned, my comments were not meant to refer to Ubuntu's
>>  >
>>  > documentation but rather a general statement that appears to be
>> recognized
>>  >
>>  > today in the open source community. I hope to be able to help
>> contribute to
>>  >
>>  > it, as I am a strong believer in the Ubuntu philosophy and the idea of
>> a
>>  >
>>  > desktop-friendly distribution of Linux.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Much work has been done to improve these challenges, and so instead of
>> attacking a poor phrasing of words, let's collaborate together, using
>> professional standards, to improve the quality of Ubuntu's documentation.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Its not an attack, wording is the crux of what we do!
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > I apologize if anyone was offended and eagerly would ask for your
>> feedback to improve the guide that I wrote (which will, in parts, be added
>> to the community supported documentation and if anyone has suggestions for
>> adding this to the official or community supported documenation either
>> bundled with Ubuntu or on the website, I would be most grateful).
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > As Johnathon said, I'm not sure where this fits in and it is very
>> similar to
>>  >
>>  > large chunks of the system documentation and the switching from windows
>>  >
>>  > guides.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > I am worried that you listed this as your copyright - draft or not,
>> there
>>  >
>>  > are some very strong similarities to areas of our official
>> documentation.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > --> I am releasing the final version of this specific doc under the GNU
>> Free
>>  >
>>  > Doc license. It's the same license as GIMP's release. Obviously it
>> wouldn't
>>  >
>>  > impede the official doc or anything anyone else has ever written.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > That said, there are good points and the only real niggles with what
>> you've
>>  >
>>  > done are:
>>  >
>>  > 1. Kubuntu users are going to have a field day when they read the line
>>  >
>>  > "Ubuntu uses the GNOME desktop environment" - I know what you mean but
>> I'd
>>  >
>>  > suggest mentioning from the out set the difference between K/X/Ubuntu.
>>  >
>>  > 2. The book is very heavy on images, how do you plan to manage this for
>>  >
>>  > translation?
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > --> Regarding point 1, I'm thinking about that but how do I do that
>> without
>>  >
>>  > creating a separate doc for Kubuntu? I haven't used Kubuntu or the
>> other
>>  >
>>  > versions, but would the procedures be different? I think it can be
>> easily
>>  >
>>  > modified for X/Kubuntu. I'm more than open to suggestions.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Regarding #2, you're right and on the basis of your suggestion, I can
>> (and
>>  >
>>  > should have initially had it this way) change the desktop screenshot to
>>  >
>>  > numbering, which is the common way of doing this for localization. I
>> should
>>  >
>>  > have done that initially and so thank you for pointing this out.
>> Regarding
>>  >
>>  > the screenshots, I'm not sure how I can fix that except that a
>> localizer can
>>  >
>>  > redo them. In general, I was taught that it's good to use images and
>>  >
>>  > screenshots but you raise a very good point.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Thanks for suggestions and I will also be happy to make any edits to
>> the
>>  >
>>  > official or community documentation that I can be of assistance on.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>
>
>
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