First stab at gnucash-docs

[Derek Atkins]

Jon Lapham <lapham at extracta.com.br> writes:

> Derek Atkins wrote:
> > I honestly don't think we need to go into too much detail here.  Just
> > point at the README file.  Users need to know how to use their own
> > OSes -- it's not our job to teach them.
> 
> Well, this is an important thing to hash out before I put any more
> work into these installation instructions!  :)

Agreed.

> Do you think I should simply say "Download the gnucash source code,
> and read the README file for instructions on how to install GnuCash"
> in the installation section of the guide?  It seems to me that we
> would really be turning off the non-geeks with that...

Yes, that's what I think.  We can also put up a web page at
gnucash.org all about "how to download and install Gnucash".
However, IMHO this does not belong in the gnucash help.

> It would seem silly at first glance to include semi-detailed user
> friendly installation instructions in gnucash help (which requires a
> running gnucash installation to read).  

Exactly...  I see that as very silly.

>     However, our documentation is
> in a format which would make for simple packaging into a book or other
> hard form (pamphlets, handouts, etc).  For this situation, I think it
> would be nice to have instructions a non-ubergeek could understand for
> how to install the software.  Also, you could imagine the situation
> where you are showing GnuCash off to someone, they want to install it,
> so you print the installation instructions out for them from the help
> window.

Well, first, I expect most distributions already have gnucash.
it may not be the latest-and-greatest, but you already get
gnucash 1.8 when you install:  Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE, etc.
The fact that the docs _can_ be packaged as a book does not
imply they will be.

Having said that, I agree with you about writing docs for
non-ubergeeks.  I want gnucash to be usable by my parents, who are
anything BUT ubergeeks ;).  OTOH, I do not believe that the online
help docs are the right place for such instructions.  Go write a web
page that we can maintain at gnucash.org.  That way people can read
it before they download gnucash.  That's not silly at all.

-derek
-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
       warlord at MIT.EDU                        PGP key available