[mythtv-users] Re: So there already *is* a MythTV wiki - COOL

Sean Cier scier at PostHorizon.com
Fri May 14 18:12:48 EDT 2004


Michael J. Sherman wrote:

> Look at this from the point of view of a new user to Myth.  The steps 
> should roughly be these:
> 
> 1) Download software
> 2) Read documentation (THE documentation)
> 3) If all else fails, join the mailing list (THE mailing list)
[...]
> Am I just all out on a limb here in thinking that more does not 
> necessarily mean better?  Anyone agree with me?

I definitely agree with this; that is, I think the documentation should all 
be accessable easily and redundancy minimized: one should be able to find 
what one's looking for quickly, from a single URL starting point -- but I 
don't think it has to be linear (as implied by your #2, perhaps 
unintentionally).  Less than 10% of people (IMHO) are going to follow those 
steps as written: most will do the (subtle, but important) variation of

1) Download software
2) Install software
3) Iff software breaks, check THE documentation (likely skipped by
    the lazy/stupid/Evil)
4) If nothing found, join THE mailing list

One branch of THE documentation can be linear (that is, a 
tutorial/walkthrough, along the lines of Jarod's guide), but 100% doesn't 
have to be that way -- however, 100% should be accessable easily from one 
starting point, and indexed well.  There could even be multiple targetted 
tutorials (e.g. for different platforms), although unneccessary redundancy 
should of course be discouraged.

Perhaps a Wiki would be one good solution for storing "THE" documentation, 
to factor out the single-maintainer bottleneck, but a well-organized Wiki 
portal might work even better (partially to avoid being locked into the 
"Wiki" look for the bulk of the content, and partially to bring the 
inevitable non-Wiki pages into the fold in a consistent manner).  Some 
portion of the content can be stored in the same Wiki, but I personally 
don't think it should all have to be that way.

But to work, THE documentation portal *must* be pointed to prominently by 
almost every resource anyone could find, even in a quick google search: this 
means mythtv.org, Myth tarballs, the Myth runtime itself (e.g. the default 
MythBrowser home page), Jarod's guide, etc.

So, I suggest:
- Wiki portal = GOOD.
- Redundant forums = BAD (as competition for the mailing list; the
   forum vs. mailing list debate notwithstanding, though I personally
   dislike them profoundly.  I just mean alternate discussion locations
   are BAD, regardless of format).
- Redundant starting points = BAD
- Useful documentation not linked to from canonical portal = BAD
- Documentation which does not link to canonical portal = BAD

-spc

-- 
  /-                 Sean Cier <scier at PostHorizon.com>                  -\
( Everyone should believe in something; I believe I'll have another pint )
  \-                 http://www.PostHorizon.com/scier                   -/


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