/srv/irclogs.ubuntu.com/2008/08/05/#ubuntu-doc.txt

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jjessenixternal: in the kubuntu-docs intrepid branch do we even need the kubuntu-kde3 folder?15:03
nixternaljjesse: I would say no....mdke and I talked yesterday about restructuring them like everyone else. If you want to take a look at that, go ahead, otherwise I can do it here in a bit15:04
jjessenixternal: you can i'm just starting to poke againat the docs15:05
nixternalok, I will work on that later on then15:05
nixternalright now I am working on restructuring our Yum server at work15:05
flaccidwhats the future of kubuntu documentation? how can i point users in #kubuntu to the doco they need specific to kubuntu ?15:06
jjesseflaccid: what do you mean by that?15:06
jjesseit gets updated every release15:06
nixternalthey can wait for kde4 docs15:06
jjesseofficial ubuntu book uses kde415:07
flaccidits mainly ubuntu/gnome doco15:07
jjessechapter 7 is kubuntu-kde415:07
nixternalhrmm, seems that the docs I had on the web page are not there now after the site upgrade15:07
nixternallooks like I will have to get those back up eventually15:08
flaccidjjesse: link please15:08
nixternalamazon.com :P15:08
nixternalfeed the starving artists :)15:08
nixternalerr, authors15:08
jjessetoo bad we don't get a cut of each sale15:08
flaccidim not sure. i want to make a brief site map on the kubuntu doco15:08
brouschjjesse, why not?15:08
jjessebrousch: we got a one time payment15:08
nixternalbrousch: not part of the deal unfortunately15:09
flaccidif im a kubuntu user, what is the link for the doco ?15:09
jjesseagreed15:09
jjessehelp.ubuntu.com15:09
nixternalflaccid: help:/kubuntu15:09
flaccidthats ubuntu, not kubuntu, it gives instructions that are not in kubuntu15:09
nixternalin konqueror15:09
jjessehttp://www.amazon.com/Official-Ubuntu-Book-Benjamin-Mako/dp/0137136684/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217945331&sr=8-115:09
nixternalit is the same documentation...every user has the documentation installed locally on their machine15:09
jjesseflaccid: at help.ubuntu.com you shold be able to access the same documetnation that is in the khelpcenter15:10
flaccidnixternal: unfortunately not many if any users in #kubuntu know this15:10
nixternalthere is also Help in KMenu15:10
jjessedo they not click on Help?15:10
nixternalsame docs15:10
nixternalexcept for KDE 4...there aren't any Kubuntu KDE4 docs yet15:10
jjesseflaccid: btw feel free to help write the docs15:10
flaccidnixternal: that url returns:  There is no documentation available for /kubuntu.15:11
brouschMaybe they are used to Microsoft's unhelpful Help sections15:11
jjessewhat version of kubuntu are you using?15:11
flaccidthey are used to URLs on the web.15:11
flaccidim on hardy15:11
nixternalKDE3 or KDE4?15:11
jjessekde3 or  kde415:11
flaccidkde3 atm15:11
jjessethere are no kde4 docs15:11
flaccidpeople want kubuntu specific doco which doesn't exist15:12
jjessethere are specific kde 3 kubuntu documentation15:12
flaccidwell so people want nvidia video driver, the factoid is !nvidia and they get https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto which is not kubuntu at all15:13
nixternalhelp:/kubuntu/index/15:13
nixternalhrmm, dunno why that changed15:13
flaccidthis difference in environements has never been catered for15:13
jjessemdke: is there a way to add the kubuntu docs to help.ubuntu.com?15:14
flaccidnixternal: doesn't matter, not many people in the community know about it or use it..15:14
nixternalthere is still Help in KMenu15:14
jjesseso you could start to change it15:14
flaccidthe help is crap.15:14
jjesseeither update the page for kubuntu or provide a new link for kubuntu15:14
nixternalthere is google, there is help.ubuntu.com/community, and plenty of blogs out there15:14
jjesseflaccid: the help is written by nixternal and myself so watch out15:14
flaccidjjesse: im aware of that :)15:15
jjesseand if you odn't like the current help documents you can start writing them as well15:15
nixternaland if they have nvidia, there is this utility called jockey that lets you know in kicker that proprietary drivers are available15:15
duncan-nzjjesse, there's a bit more to it than that15:15
flaccidjjesse: i started writing them about a year ago or so15:15
jjesseduncan-nz: explain?15:15
flaccidnixternal: update  it then15:15
nixternalhrmm15:15
* nixternal goes back to real work15:15
* flaccid yawns15:16
duncan-nzjjesse, the distance from having something to contribute to ubuntu documentation and actually doing it is quite complex.15:16
flaccidnixternal: if i was to ask you where the kubuntu official documentation was, where would you tell it it would be ?15:16
nixternalKMenu -> Help15:16
jjesseduncan-nz: really?  you look at a document, email the maling list on a problem and it gets changed15:16
jjesseor you checkout the source and then change it yourself15:16
jjessewhen istarted doing doucmentation i didn't know poop about docbook15:17
nixternalfile a bug, write the docs yourself, fix the docs yourself and send us a patch...very easy15:17
flaccidnixternal: ok. thats an uncontextual load of ****15:17
nixternalwe had about 20 people who had never written a doc before, never coded before, join up a couple of months back and rocked out on docs..so it isn't all that complex15:17
flaccidbut thanks the same15:17
jjessewhen i started kubuntu docs i emailedthe mailing list and that was it15:17
jjessethen i started looking at the source and following what it looked lke15:17
jjesseits not that complicated15:18
jjessetrust me i did it15:18
nixternalflaccid: your attitude isn't what I feel like dealing with today...if you don't like the docs, help fix them, otherwise don't bitch about it and ask me stupid ass questions, because all you do is piss me off and make me not give two shits about you or your document issues that you and only you have15:18
flaccidjust fyi, i've never in my long history helped a user consult kmenu -> help. doesnt that say something ?15:18
duncan-nz(... sorry watching the wrong channel)15:18
nixternalon that note, have a nice day...I have better things to do15:18
flaccidnixternal: i have normal users complain regularly, so its not me, its the community...15:19
jjesseflaccid: that sems silly to me15:19
flaccidsilly?15:19
nixternalbugs.launchpad.net...if they can't file a bug, then they are to stupid to use a computer15:19
jjesseto never look at kmenu -> help15:19
jjesseits right there15:19
nixternaldone.forRead();15:19
flaccidand its confusing as!!15:19
duncan-nzflaccid, try telling me about you're gripes if you like.15:20
jjessei guess i don't understand why someone wouldn't look at "help"15:20
jjesseits right there15:20
duncan-nzWe might have something in common ;-)15:20
flaccidbecause people are people...15:20
flaccidtheir behaviour is not what what we desire usually15:21
jjesseif no one is going to look at help why should i waste time writing it then15:21
flaccidlets not assume people are smarter than we think15:21
flaccidjjesse: because people like me have valuable input15:21
duncan-nzjjesse, it's prpobably not in line with the coc but I've always had the policy of remembering what my dad told me "never underestimate the human potential for stupidity and irrational behaviour"15:21
jjesseduncan-nz: i realize tha15:22
brouschDue to past experience, people are used to the Help menu being a confusing, unhelpful maze. It will take time for them to realize that it really is useful now.15:23
flaccidbrousch: i agree.15:23
duncan-nzjust a moment, son calling.15:23
jjessehow complicated is the help system?15:23
brouschI know that I always hit Google or wiki.ubuntu.com first when I have a question.15:24
flaccida URI is also important15:24
brouschThis is because I had never found the answer to my question in the help system, so I learned to just skip it.15:24
jjessebrousch: so we need to make the docs better15:24
duncan-nz(back)15:24
flaccidthe help:// system is lax15:25
brouschjjesse, No, we need to let people know that the Help menu is actually helpful now15:25
jjesseflaccid: so how are you going to make help:// better?15:25
flaccidwell i find the help menu very confusing and im an advanced user15:25
flaccidjjesse: im not.15:25
jjesseso you aregoing to complain about it but not help improve it/15:26
duncan-nzbrousch, I don't agree that the help menu is better, unless we're talking about intrepid, which IU haven't checked out.15:26
flaccidi offered my idea about a year ago and it was rejected s yeah15:26
flaccidi offered, can't do more than that...15:26
duncan-nzflaccid, wrong - an offer is not enough in Open Source.15:26
jjesseagrred15:26
flaccidduncan-nz: it was according to the mailing list15:26
brouschduncan-nz, I actually haven't looked at it. I was just assuming that it is better based on jjesse's and nixternal's comments15:27
flaccidnixternal didn't like it at all because the system was 'topic' based15:27
flaccidwell sorry the current system was 'topic' based so an authoritive manual was not needed or some shiz..15:27
duncan-nzall, I think that the whole docs structure needs a good strong dose of research.15:28
jjessethe topic based change was a large discussion15:28
flaccidwell 1 definitive document would be enough but yeah15:28
jjesseand a lot of thought and effort when into the decision15:28
duncan-nzHow do various people search for help, and how do we/you refplact that best in doc structure.15:28
jjesseand that decisoin was made for both ubuntu-docs and kubuntu-docs15:28
flaccidand the result is.....15:28
jjessetopic based help15:29
duncan-nzjjesse, I'm not talking about thought and effort and time, but actual research (I feel a blueprint comming on)15:29
jjessesorry work is calling and need to get something done today15:29
duncan-nzok15:29
flaccidkubuntu users geneally dont' even know about help:// let alone try to search it....15:29
jjessepost to the maling list15:29
duncan-nzjjesse, I'm having trouble getting mails at the mo, but working on it.15:30
jjesseduncan-nz: i will look forward to commenting on it :)15:30
flaccidi'll just keep writing my book15:30
jjesseanyways back to lurker mode :)15:30
duncan-nzflaccid, what book?15:30
flaccidduncan-nz: a decent book on kubuntu. i offered it to the project a year or so ago, but they were not interested.15:30
duncan-nzis it LGPL'ed?15:31
flaccidit doesn't have a licence yet15:31
flaccidnor is it released. but i always want to help kubuntu but its always a problem15:32
duncan-nzI see. Is there any reason not to throw it online somewhere?15:32
flaccidduncan-nz: yes because the idea was rejected15:32
flaccidits in the mailing list archives...15:33
duncan-nzsorry for my ignorance, but how does that stop you putting it online?15:33
flaccidit was rejected so i chose a different option for publishing15:33
flaccid"i offered, can't do more than that..."15:33
duncan-nzI'm not sure that you've answered my question. What's the barrier to putting it online. Do you need somewhere to put it?15:34
flaccidno i own servers. i won't put it online because of principle. i offered it to the project and it was rejected so i went my own way15:35
duncan-nzprinciples? oh. do you mean pride?15:35
flaccidits in readiness for a stable kde 4.xx ..15:35
duncan-nz(son's nappy calling)15:36
flaccidnot in this case. i have to wait for kde 4 to get up to a decent level..15:36
flaccidnp15:36
flaccidi offered this to ubuntu/kubuntu before i started authoring.15:36
duncan-nz(did I mention it was a crappy nappy?)15:42
duncan-nzflaccid, have you written down somewhere what you think is wrong with the current documentation?15:43
brouschduncan-nz, Is a nappie a diaper? I thought you were putting your kid down for a short sleep (nap).15:44
duncan-nzdiaper (us) = nappy (uk)15:44
duncan-nzI couldn't get him to take a nap today. So he's playing next to me.15:45
brouschdarn that Queen's English15:45
duncan-nzthree years old15:45
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brouschduncan-nz, Is he hacking on edubuntu yet?15:47
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duncan-nzbrousch, no, but my wife jokes about it. He has an old IBM laptop which runs windows 3.1 though. I'm not a fan of children using computers early.15:48
brouschWindows 3.1? Are you trying to frustrate him into hating computers?15:49
emmajaneduncan-nz: at least say it's 3.11 for workgroups. ;)15:51
duncan-nzbrousch, basically, yes ;-)15:52
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duncan-Zzz(emmajane, no idea. I only run it for packman nostalgia)15:54
jjesse3.1 was the one with a legal problem for disk keeper or something like correet?15:54
jjessethey quickly came out with 3.11 for workgroups15:54
emmajanesomething like that, jjesse15:56
brouschMy 8 month old sees my wife and I on our laptops and he dives for the keyboard to beat on it. I let him give it a try at about 5 months http://ur1.ca/1q715:58
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