First stab at gnucash-docs

Dan Means dkmeans at srsconsulting.net
Fri Jun 13 11:55:50 CDT 2003


You have a good point about not being in the "help" file...

I'd like my dad to be able to do it too....


----- Original Message -----
From: "Derek Atkins" <warlord at MIT.EDU>
To: "Jon Lapham" <lapham at extracta.com.br>
Cc: <chris at wilddev.net>; "Gnucash" <gnucash-devel at lists.gnucash.org>; "Linas
Vepstas" <linas at linas.org>
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 10:15 AM
Subject: Re: First stab at gnucash-docs


> 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
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>



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