Re: PROPOSAL: UISG Menu Line Standardization



JR Tipton wrote:
> 
> > I think most coders understand the need for documentation -- Its just very
> > low on their list of priorities, and sometimes even non-existant on their
> > list of "to do" 's..
> 
> If documentation is very low on their list of priorities, what does that
> mean?  It means exactly what you might think it means: that anything and
> everything but writing code is low on their list of priorities even though
> coding is, at best, 50% of the job of being a programmer ("Code
> Complete").

I agree with this.  In my experience, the typical programmer
loves what he's doing and enjoys expressing his work with
others.  Documentation is a no-fail way to do this.  You have a
captive audience.  (c:  Sure, if a programmer is doing something
he hates doing, he'll want to wrap it up ASAP and forget about
it.  But if the programmer truly cares about what he's doing (the
sign of a good programmer), documentation will make perfect
sense.  

One thing's for sure.  After putting all that work into an
application, I'm not gonna let someone who doesn't appreciate the
full splendor of my work write my docs for me.  They might leave
something out!  (c:

> I suggest that at the very least a GNOME application must have concise,
> helpful documentation accessable inside the program.

I assume you mean that the app should be able to call up its own
help in an external viewer (i.e. not linked into the
executable).  We definitely need to keep documentation outside of
the executables.
 
> > Application documentation will likely be a requirement of Level 3 and
> > higher apps. Look for a proposal like this to pop up mid next week.

No, I agree with JR.  It's way more important than
middle-of-the-road.  If documentation isn't a bare necessity (I
would allow for that), then it should be the very next level.

John



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