Re: Two sides.

[Joakim Ziegler <joakim helixcode com>]

On Fri, Nov 17, 2000 at 02:32:59AM -0500, Steve Hall wrote:
> Is the whole thing for the developer? Does Gnome want the responsibility of
> reaching the common user? Do/will we abdicate that function to HelixCode or
> Easel?

> If Gnome really DOES want to reach the non-technical user, I make a motion
> that we split the site into two sides, the front for a new user and the back
> for everything else.

This is a very good idea, and we tried to do this to a certain extent when I
redesigned www.gnome.org the last time. www.gnome.org was to be the main site
for users, and all developer information was to be redirected to
developer.gnome.org. We didn't achieve a total division, for some historical
reasons, etc, but we took some steps towards that. I think this goal is also
reasonable to keep in mind for the new sites.


> It seems to me that we have a *ton* of stuff that belongs under developer
> and much less for the common user. Frankly, I believe that we need to make
> the front of the Gnome site understandable enough so that even my mother can
> find recipe software, download it and leave. If she needs some help, that
> should be accessible, too. Perhaps a separate user posting space, news, and
> mail archive would be desirable for them someday, too, but split off
> everything into Developer that would confuse her. Call it the Steve's Mom
> rule if you like. I feel like 75% of what www.gnome.org presents right now
> is developer related and only confuses the other 25% for my mom.  ;)

I'm not sure it's as severe as 75% of the information on www.gnome.org being
for developers. In the menu, 13 of 20 choices are clearly for users, and a
couple that aren't clearly targeted at a specific group.

But I agree, it would be good to try to maintain this separation as much as
possible.

-- 
Joakim Ziegler - Helix Code web monkey - joakim helixcode com - Radagast IRC
      FIX sysop - free software coder - FIDEL & Conglomerate developer
            http://www.avmaria.com/ - http://www.helixcode.com/