Re: Templates directory looks pretty bare

[Ryan McDougall <NQG24419 nifty com>]

On Sat, 2004-31-07 at 10:54 -0400, Curtis Hovey wrote:

> 
> Solid user documentation is absent in our platform releases.  Our rapid
> releases are confusing developers and users, such as in the case of
> spatial Nautilus and Templates.
> 
> What we need is a document about _Living with GNOME_.  It discusses how
> to use the desktop and it's applications, instead of just indicating
> what they do.  In the case of spatial Nautilus and templates, we pointed
> users and developers to previous conversations, or to essays on other
> sites to explain our reasoning.  Instead, our reasoning should be
> incorporated into our documentation, aided with plenty of examples
> derived from use cases.
> 
> In the chapter on document-centric computing:
> . Using folders to manage documents.
> . How to create a kind of document using the desktop.
> . Using the Templates folder to create new kinds of document.
> . Opening documents by clicking, keying, and drag and drop.
> 
> In the chapter on applications
> . Using the window list, window selector, and the keyboard to switch
>   windows.
> . Using workspaces to divide tasks.
> . working with windows and apps; close and quit.
> 
> Discovering the document is another issue.  When the desktop is
> upgraded, the user should see a presentation highlighting the new
> features.  The presentation will end with an suggestion to RTFM, which
> is placed on the desktop for easy discovery.

If you want to start writing this, I will be happy to contribute. Give
me an outline of what you think we should write and I'll get a working
draft to you in a week or so.

If you'd like to meet on IRC to discuss it more please let me know. I'm
currently running on Japanese time, so we'd have to work that out.

> 
> PS.  I love the Template directory as it is.  I would like to see
> applications that have templates to add/update "Save As Template" to the
> file menu.
> 

IMO over complication, ruins simplicity. But you're right, something
needs to be done to get people to use templates. 

Cheers,
Ryan