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List:       kde-i18n-doc
Subject:    Redaction team ?
From:       Eric Bischoff <ebisch () cybercable ! tm ! fr>
Date:       1999-12-15 9:26:16
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Le Tue, 14 Dec 1999, vous avez écrit :
> Thanks. I do have some problems with what I have done so far for KDE
> project. Most of the time I feel I haven't done enough, because I
> concentrated only on localization to Slovenian language.

Well, it was the policy until now : translate, translate and translate...
But translate what ? Maybe in the future we should focus more on quality.

> I don't plan to program for it in near future, because there are more
> than enough good programmers doing that already and think help is more
> needed elsewhere. You (and Al) pointed out one of things, that could be
> improved. So it would be better for everybody, if people like me worked
> on documentation (and localization).

Yes, maybe we should transfer some task force from translation to redaction.

> I don't know if I ever mentioned it to you, but Roman, Primoz and I (and
> two other people) spent a better part of this year writing a book about
> Linux for a slovenian publisher which should be finished soon. Judging
> by experience I gathered there, I feel capable of writing solid
> documentation but also KNOW how much time and energy it will consume, if
> I start doing it. Certainly more than I can spend in the following
> months (I'd like to finish my university studies next year). I guess
> there are many people like me out there.

... Maybe. Call for volunteers : is anyone interested in such "redaction" task ?

> Maybe we can solve this problem with a team of people, who would write
> such book. I'd be quite willing to write couple of chapters, if somebody
> else would edit it later and remove all (or most of) language errors and
> other mistakes that would inevitably find their way in. If I remember it
> correctly, there were people volunteering to do this. Since we've done
> it that way, I obviously think it's possible. 

There's the "English team", made only of native English speakers, that can
proofread and correct any document. It could participate to the redaction
effort and help corrrect other's work.

But... Why should it be a book ? I think there are enough "paper" publishing
companies that are doing books about KDE nowadays, no need to add one more
general-purpose book. Of course, if you think to the user's guide as a book,
yes, we need to re-write the User's Guide (at least this is what I think - does
everyone agree ?). The FAQ is updated on a very regular basis by Lee, so this
is not the real problem. The Quickstart guide could be updated too. And there
are all the applications with no or few documentation.
      
> There are some gotchas to this approach. There are differences in people
> writing styles. We try to overcome this by letting one of us having the
> last word on the book. He's responsibility is to unify chapters from
> different authors into one book.

Well, the "redaction" team could have a coordinator, as usually. This is not a
problem.

> However, I have no idea how to improve documentation of specific
> programs. Most of them are quite easy to document, but it seems nobody
> found interest in this task.

Yes, and the other problem is : ususally, the application's writer is the
person who best knows what should be in this doc. If he/she does not feel like
writing proper documentation himself/herself, a tight cooperation would be
necessary. Humm....

> If there's no interest in User's guide,
> I'll try to find time to help there.

This is a big job.

> I guess this would be easier with
> stronger collaboration with developers for upcoming releases, which is
> probably doable already (I wouldn't know since I've never tried it).

We could at least try ;-)

> Best regards,
> 
> 	Marko
> 
> P.S: Btw, have you seen documentation Corel wrote? Can it be found on
> web? So far I have been unable to, but I'll try again.

No. I'm interested in that too.

Éric
--
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 __________________________________________________
 Éric Bischoff   -   mailto:ebisch@cybercable.tm.fr

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