130 lines
5.3 KiB
HTML
130 lines
5.3 KiB
HTML
<!-- MHonArc v2.5.0b2 -->
|
|
<!--X-Subject: Re: [OT] OpenSource Documentation Fund -->
|
|
<!--X-From-R13: Fbz Tnjprgg <snjprggNzvaqfcevat.pbz> -->
|
|
<!--X-Date: Sat, 27 May 2000 13:41:22 -0400 (EDT) -->
|
|
<!--X-Message-Id: 14640.2250.889654.895270@sucia.home -->
|
|
<!--X-Content-Type: text/plain -->
|
|
<!--X-Reference: 3.0.6.32.20000527092016.01e7f6f0@spiretech.com -->
|
|
<!--X-Head-End-->
|
|
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML//EN">
|
|
<html>
|
|
<head>
|
|
<title>Re: [OT] OpenSource Documentation Fund</title>
|
|
<link rev="made" href="mailto:fawcett@mindspring.com">
|
|
</head>
|
|
<body>
|
|
<!--X-Body-Begin-->
|
|
<!--X-User-Header-->
|
|
<!--X-User-Header-End-->
|
|
<!--X-TopPNI-->
|
|
<hr>
|
|
[<a href="msg02520.html">Date Prev</a>][<a href="msg02522.html">Date Next</a>][<a href="msg02519.html">Thread Prev</a>][<a href="msg02540.html">Thread Next</a>][<a href="maillist.html#02521">Date Index</a>][<a href="threads.html#02521">Thread Index</a>]
|
|
<!--X-TopPNI-End-->
|
|
<!--X-MsgBody-->
|
|
<!--X-Subject-Header-Begin-->
|
|
<h1>Re: [OT] OpenSource Documentation Fund</h1>
|
|
<hr>
|
|
<!--X-Subject-Header-End-->
|
|
<!--X-Head-of-Message-->
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:ldp-discuss@lists.linuxdoc.org">ldp-discuss@lists.linuxdoc.org</A></li>
|
|
<li><em>Subject</em>: Re: [OT] OpenSource Documentation Fund</li>
|
|
<li><em>From</em>: Tom Fawcett <<A HREF="mailto:fawcett@mindspring.com">fawcett@mindspring.com</A>></li>
|
|
<li><em>Date</em>: Sat, 27 May 2000 10:41:30 -0700 (PDT)</li>
|
|
<li><em>In-reply-to</em>: <<a href="msg02518.html">3.0.6.32.20000527092016.01e7f6f0@spiretech.com</a>></li>
|
|
<li><em>References</em>: <<a href="msg02518.html">3.0.6.32.20000527092016.01e7f6f0@spiretech.com</a>></li>
|
|
<li><em>Resent-date</em>: Sat, 27 May 2000 13:41:22 -0400 (EDT)</li>
|
|
<li><em>Resent-from</em>: <A HREF="mailto:ldp-discuss@lists.debian.org">ldp-discuss@lists.debian.org</A></li>
|
|
<li><em>Resent-message-id</em>: <fFA5sB.A.9aH.5iAM5@murphy></li>
|
|
<li><em>Resent-sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:ldp-discuss-request@lists.debian.org">ldp-discuss-request@lists.debian.org</A></li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<!--X-Head-of-Message-End-->
|
|
<!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin-->
|
|
<hr>
|
|
<!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End-->
|
|
<!--X-Body-of-Message-->
|
|
<pre>
|
|
John <jcj@spiretech.com> wrote:
|
|
> my old computer (which used to run NT), put a new, cheap, hard drive in it
|
|
> and installed Corel Linux just to see what all the Linux hoopla was about.
|
|
> I found the documentation that came with it pretty useless. Were it not for
|
|
> newsgroups and friends helping me out, I would never have gotten the
|
|
> network or the modem working. At that, I bought the Idiot's Guide, but it
|
|
> didn't help a lot either.
|
|
|
|
Many authors are interested in feedback and would like to know whether (and
|
|
why) their documents aren't useful. I welcome comments from intelligent
|
|
beginners, and especially from people who seem to have good writing
|
|
aesthetics and can explain where my document is lacking. I take feedback
|
|
seriously though I don't make every change suggested.
|
|
|
|
> One thing that seems to be completely lacking, both in the LDP and
|
|
> currently published books, is a troubleshooting guide. For example, what if
|
|
> someone went through the newsgroups and compiled the most commonly asked
|
|
> questions ("The ppp daemon died unexpectedly -- what does that mean?") --
|
|
> and then did a step-by-step checklist for the user to go through. I sure
|
|
> wish I had been able to get my hands on something like that. Would have
|
|
> saved me a lot of frustration and a lot of my friends' time and effort.
|
|
|
|
IMO, each task-specific document should have a troubleshooting section for
|
|
the task. The PPP-HOWTO should have one that covers the example you give.
|
|
|
|
> The problem I found was that I would post a question in a newsgroup and
|
|
> people would respond by posting an URL to a document in the LDP. I would
|
|
> dutifully go to the URL, but the text was incomprehensible to me.
|
|
> Everything was written in Geekspeak. The authors assumed too much knowledge
|
|
> on the part of the reader, thus failing to define terms before using them.
|
|
|
|
Since you have a background in writing but not in Linux, it might be useful
|
|
to collaborate with an author to improve an existing document.
|
|
|
|
Regards,
|
|
-Tom
|
|
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to ldp-discuss-request@lists.debian.org
|
|
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org
|
|
|
|
</pre>
|
|
|
|
<!--X-Body-of-Message-End-->
|
|
<!--X-MsgBody-End-->
|
|
<!--X-Follow-Ups-->
|
|
<hr>
|
|
<!--X-Follow-Ups-End-->
|
|
<!--X-References-->
|
|
<ul><li><strong>References</strong>:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><strong><a name="02518" href="msg02518.html">Re: [OT] OpenSource Documentation Fund</a></strong>
|
|
<ul><li><em>From:</em> John <jcj@spiretech.com></li></ul></li>
|
|
</ul></li></ul>
|
|
<!--X-References-End-->
|
|
<!--X-BotPNI-->
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>Prev by Date:
|
|
<strong><a href="msg02520.html">geekness</a></strong>
|
|
</li>
|
|
<li>Next by Date:
|
|
<strong><a href="msg02522.html">Re: geekness</a></strong>
|
|
</li>
|
|
<li>Previous by thread:
|
|
<strong><a href="msg02519.html">Re: [OT] OpenSource Documentation Fund</a></strong>
|
|
</li>
|
|
<li>Next by thread:
|
|
<strong><a href="msg02540.html">Re: [OT] OpenSource Documentation Fund</a></strong>
|
|
</li>
|
|
<li>Index(es):
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li><a href="maillist.html#02521"><strong>Date</strong></a></li>
|
|
<li><a href="threads.html#02521"><strong>Thread</strong></a></li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<!--X-BotPNI-End-->
|
|
<!--X-User-Footer-->
|
|
<!--X-User-Footer-End-->
|
|
</body>
|
|
</html>
|