Re: An introduction

[Chris Lyttle <chris wilddev net>]

I would like to add my voice to John and Eric's, I too in my work on
GnuCash documentation, though not strictly in the gnome cvs, upload it
to CVS as I work on it. I just found out very quickly that this was the
'style' if you will of the gnome doc writers and so followed it. I also
did this with the few contributions I've made to gnome docs. I'd like to
further what John says here in adding that we are having a discussion
here about what we'd like to see as writers participating in the gdp,
not laying down hard rules that have to be followed to participate.

Chris

On Mon, 2004-01-26 at 20:03, John Fleck wrote:
> I don't think we should turn this into a huge deal.
> 
> In my response, I was trying to elaborate on the point I thought Shaun
> was trying to make. I didn't mean to sound like I was telling you how
> you ought to do things. Sorry.
> 
> Like Eric, I always check stuff in on a regular basis as I'm working on
> it - whenever I make major changes, and at the end of the day.
> 
> The fact that y'all don't has always made it a bit harder to keep track
> of what you're doing. I think you've done a good job of keeping us
> posted, minimizing the problem that poses. So, as I said, it's not a
> huge deal.
> 
> It's also worth pointing out that y'all are also part of free software
> now. You're no longer immigrants here, you've well earned your
> citizenship papers, and it's not like there's one "right" way to do
> this, just pluses and minuses.
> 
> You're part of the GDP too.
> 
> Cheers,
> John
> 
> On Mon, 2004-01-26 at 08:09, Patrick Costello wrote:
> > John, 
> > 
> > Do you know anybody who puts documentation drafts into CVS on a daily
> > basis? 
> > 
> > Where is the working practise that you outline below included in the Free
> > Software Foundation philosophy? 
> > 
> > All I can find in the FSF website is that "free software needs free
> > documentation because you must be free to copy, change and redistribute the
> > documentation along with the software." 
> > 
> > Note the "free to ... change" part. To my mind, this implies that people
> > can modify free documentation, within the strictures of the GFDL, in any
> > way that they need to do in the context of whatever software changes they
> > are dealing with. If people want to work in the way that you describe, then
> > that's really great. But I don't think that such a process should be made
> > an obligation. In my opinion, such an obligatory process would be a
> > limitation of the very freedom espoused by the FSF. 
> > 
> > Still, if that is the way the GDP now requires contributors to work, then I
> > have to accept that. 
> > 
> > As I said in my previous mail to Shaun, I am discussing the implications of
> > this development with the rest of the documentation team at Sun.
> > 
> > Pat
> > 
> > 
> > John Fleck wrote:
> > > 
> > > Deirdre -
> > > 
> > > Hi. Good to hear from you.
> > > 
> > > I think you misunderstand the concern that Shaun is raising. The problem
> > > is not that the Sun team is not keeping us posted on what manuals are
> > > being worked on. It is the fact that the work is being done behind the
> > > scenes, out of public view, and does not become public until a final
> > > version of the manual is placed in CVS.
> > > 
> > > This is different than the normal GNOME working style - including the
> > > working style used by the Sun hackers writing GNOME code. Most work is
> > > placed in CVS as it is being worked on, on essentially a daily basis, in
> > > draft form. That allows others to work collaboratively on the work as it
> > > is in process, offering suggestions, revisions, etc. It also allows
> > > anyone, transparently, to see where the work is headed.
> > > 
> > > I think Pat, Breda, Eugene and the others have worked mightily to keep
> > > us apprised of the work that the Sun docs team has been doing, and I
> > > appreciate those efforts. I think Shaun was raising a more subtle point
> > > - that no one but the Sun people get to look at and contribute to the
> > > work while it is in progress, and that this differs from the way
> > > collaborative work is done throughout the rest of the GNOME project.
> > > 
> > > Cheers,
> > > John
> > > 
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > gnome-doc-list mailing list
> > > gnome-doc-list gnome org
> > > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-doc-list
> 
> _______________________________________________
> gnome-doc-list mailing list
> gnome-doc-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-doc-list
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