[ Dekstop Help ] First Contributions - Lesson Learned

[Doug Smythies]

Greg: Thanks for this e-mail. There is huge value when someone new writes about their learning curve issues. After doing it a few times, one tends to develop workarounds in their brain and it becomes less obvious what is wrong.

Other readers should know that you dug into things so deep and thoroughly that it was difficult to keep up with you on IRC.

On 2014.01.12 01:35 Greg Beam wrote:

> For the experienced dev's, contributors and editors,
> this may be white noise

Just so you know, none of us are all that experienced.
The truly experienced and knowledgeable have left the
project. We are merely trying to carry on.

> where the would be new
> contributor is left saying "this is not
> worth the pain!!".

We are well aware of the "not worth the pain" issue.
Believe me, it is not limited to the "would be new
contributor".

> - Tasks Tab:

Yes, brutally out of date.
I wonder if one of the wiki tag experts (from those e-mails that
I did not pay attention to) could add an indicator.

> - Repository Tab:
> -----------------
> * This page needs an overhaul. It uses Natty and Karmic as examples, and
> points users to Apps >> Accessories >> Terminal. That should have
> sounded alarm bells, but it didn't. Blunder #1 on my part.

Yes, most of the content needs to be deleted and the reader pointed to the getting started pages.
For my part of it, sorry. I knew that this page was largely redundant with the new getting started pages, but failed to change it.

> - Checking TAB:

Yes, we should delete its build instructions and point the reader to the build page and the getting started pages, or delete the page entirely.

> * I think using yelp (plus /path/to/ubuntu.xsl) is a very good tool, but
> we need to document it's proper use for Desktop Help. I did not use
> ubuntu.xsl, as I was unaware of the need, which resulted in allot of
> re-work.

I consider this to be partly your issue, because you already know so much.
Just use the getting started or BUILB TAB build instructions and don't
even think about using yelp-build directly.

> * We need copyright policies clearly stated with examples.

Hence the other email thread. Lets figure it out.

> * We need Unity specific .stub files and the method to generate pages.

Huh? Don't understand.

> * We need guidance on Gnome to Unity separation, what, how much, and by
> when, the old W3 thing (Who, What & When).

Hence the other email thread. Lets figure it out.