Re: User oriented release notes

[karderio <karderio gmail com>]

Hi :o)

On Sat, 2006-09-09 at 13:10 +0200, Claus Schwarm wrote:
> Hi, 
>
> On Sat, 09 Sep 2006 02:08:09 +0200
> karderio <karderio gmail com> wrote:
> > What could take the edge off the buzz a user should be feeling when
> > reading about GNOME ? Compilation options is one, links to "technical"
> > fd.o standards another, there's the "code cleanups" section... Not to
> > say these are bad, I don't mind them one bit - but telling a potential
> > user about "compiling" even before he has seen the contraption can
> > hardly promote it...
>
> I believe you're making a common error: You think in terms of
> developers vs. users. This is misleading.
>
> Better think of (ordinary) users, enthusiasts, and professionals. Our
> notes were written with enthusiasts and professionals in mind. We
> ignored ordinary users because they don't read release notes. Never. If
> they do, they are already enthusiasts.

Perhaps, but in any case we still need to cater for the lowest common
denominator : grandma :)

> Also note that we cannot hide the technical details of how Linux works.
> There's simple no way to prevent a user running into 'compiling' stuff.
> This is due to the distribution system of Linux and has nothing to do
> with GNOME.
>
> > The other criticism I could raise is a lack of at least one screenshot
> > of the entire GNOME desktop.
> [snip]
> > Perhaps the criticisms I have directed at the release notes are not
> > meant for them at all. The notes in fact being an excellent interim,
> > bolstering the "About GNOME" section, which manages to say piles about
> > GNOME's goals without ever saying what it does or what it looks like.
>
> Yes, indeed. The release notes are not the 'About' section of GNOME,
> and they should not be. The first page indicates differently but it is
> simply a bug.

Maybe technical details cannot be hidden completely (on the website),
although I'm not sure why. I'll reformulate the problem I see : user
comes to website, the best, easily accessible, information about GNOME
is the release notes : talk of complication makes him worried.

As you say there is a bug :) What is the solution, to make the "about"
section relevant and make it more prominent than the release notes ?

> We do have screenhots on www.gnome.org -- theoretically, at least.
> There's no need to have one in the notes, too. The ones we have just
> need to be linked in the 'About' section.

Theoretically maybe, the fact is that there are none that can be easily
accessed (AFAICS). One shot per version/release notes can't be
completely useless, at least serving to make them pretty :) (the macOS
release notes Luis mentionned have a very nice shot at the top of them).

> Btw, a 'presenting GNOME'  section was started two years ago called the
> tour. It's nearly finished in CVS but it needs somebody doing
> screenshots. (And another one removing this docbook format.)

Where ? Is this meant for the website or shipping with a release ?

Love, Karderio.