Re: PROPOSAL: UISG Menu Line Standardization

[Bowie Poag <bjp primenet com>]

> Preben Randhol <randhol@dusken4.samfundet.ntnu.no> writes:
> 
> > * Bowie Poag
> > | This kind of stuff (user-end documentation) is a little difficult to
> > | mandate, simply because programmers dont really like writing
> > | documentation. :) Its very hard to set it into stone that ALL developers
> > | must include user dox with their apps upon releasing them, simply because
> > | a programmer's free time should preferably be spent coding, not writing
> > | dox. :)
> > 
> > No offence but the old cliche that the programmer should program not
> > write docs is utterly rubbish. It's futile. Just look at the GDK
> > library it isn't documented one bit which makes it very hard to
> > use. The GTK and GNOME libs are also poorly documented, but here there
> > is improvement.
> 
> No. It is not rubbish. As a programmer I can tell you that
> documentation is a long way down the priority list when I do hacks on
> my free time. GDK is not overly documented, but on the other hand I
> doubt there would be a GDK if there had been someone demanding
> documentation from the start. Programmers don't take wery well to
> orders.

Thank you. :) I've been working with programmers on one or more projects
since like '92, and it never fails -- The LAST thing that ANY of them
wants to do, is document. They feel whatever you have to write for command
line help should be sufficient. Coders are coders, thats never going to
change. You can only encouraget them to write the documentation in order
for their program to gain more acceptance in the public. You cant force
them, ala a Style Guide requirement, to write dox -- They'll reject it
outright.

Bowie


> 
> -- 
> Peter Bortas                   http://peter.bortas.org
> Idonex AB                      http://www.idonex.com
> 
>