Thanks Bryce.
"> Similarly, if you follow the user list or the #inkscape user channel and
see questions being asked a lot (and that sound likely to continue being asked long in the future), consider adding Q&A's for those."
I recently subscribed to the user list, but I didn't even know about #inkscape user channel. That's an IRC channel...or....that's not twitter, is it? (Sorry, I don't participate in the whole social media thing.) However, I'm quite familiar with messages posted in forums, and somewhat with messages posted in Launchpad Answers.
"> Section 3 is probably a bit TMI for users, even though we'd *like* users
to know all this stuff. Perhaps pick out a handful of the most user-useful Q&A's for the django faq, and move the remainder to the wiki FAQ."
Some of those items in section 3, I've seen asked over and over and over again -- Alt key on Linux, and all those Mac issues, and opening EPS in Windows, in particular. But I'll try to pare it down some.
"> There should also be a Q&A for people looking for more specific tips and
tricks for using Inkscape, to a page with a listing of Tutorials. We probably shouldn't directly link to specific tutorials since a) the links would bitrot, and b) we'd have requests to add links to more and more tutorials."
Good idea. My intent for the tutorials listed on my website, is to keep up and keep track of them. So that if a tutorial disappears from the internet, I'll delete it from my list. Same goes for if a tutorial becomes too outdated to be useful anymore. And I would be glad to do the same for inkscape.org. However, I agree that using "outside" tutorials to answer FAQs, could generate requests for more "outside" links, and should be avoided.
I'll make a list of the bad links (dead, empty, not found pages) (which I guess is what you mean by "bitrot"), and send them to you. Maybe you can find them somewhere.
Speaking of a listing of tutorials -- would those be only "official" tutorials? Or should all kinds of outside tutorials (such as listed on my webpage) be found on the Tutorials page? Already, there are lots of tutorials from a deviantART feed that Martin set up (which are "outside" tutorials). But with such a listing of outside tutorials, again, you'll have the bitrot issue, and possible frequent requests to be listed.
"Our
software documentation is also a lot better than when this FAQ was initially written, too."
and regarding the Customizing Inkscape faq item "> There might be a few other FAQ items like this, that should just move to
proper docs."
and "Also I think it probably isn't that
'frequent' of a question so once it's in the program documentation it can be dropped from the FAQ."
Are you suggesting that if documentation for an faq item exists, that it should be deleted from the faq? Or that the answer should be deleted, and instead should link to the documentation?
Because I think a lot of people, maybe even most people, think of an FAQ for just exactly that "frequently asked questions". Perhaps the faq has been used in the past, as a place for developers to put answers, and for users to find answers, when no other documentation exists. But I'm not sure taking it completely out of the faq would be appropriate, if it truly is asked for frequently. For customizing Inkscape, I can say that it is asked surprisingly often! I've even heard people say they won't use Inkscape unless they can have a customized theme! (Of course, imo, that's their problem, but it is a fairly common topic.) (And btw, easily customizable themes, or "skins", is a much wished-for feature!)
Anyway, thanks for your guidance. I get so much enjoyment from Inkscape, and I'm happy to be able to help out, in some way.
brynn
-------------------------------------------------- From: "Bryce Harrington" <bryce@...961...> Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2014 1:38 PM To: "Brynn" <brynn@...3133...> Cc: "Inkscape-Devel" Inkscape-devel@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: Re: [Inkscape-devel] splitting FAQ in 2
On Fri, Aug 15, 2014 at 05:11:02PM -0600, Brynn wrote:
Hi Friends, I've been helping Martin on the inkscape.org website. And that somehow has grown to include the wiki. But of course, I'm glad to help. He says user info, such as forums, tutorials and galleries should not be part of the wiki, so that the wiki is only for developers. I've already transferred (and updated!) some of that user-related stuff to a test page for the website (http://staging.inkscape.org/en/brynntest/?edit&language=en). (I think all the galleries need to be moved to another page, but that hasn't been decided yet, that I know of.) (If the Community page looks like that, then the Learn page would look like this http://staging.inkscape.org/en/brynns-learn-page/?edit&language=en). Anyway, there is a *whole bunch* of user-related stuff in the wiki, and he said it would be better to ask the community about some of these questions.
Hi Brynn, thanks so much for your help on all of this!
Since the current FAQ, which is shown both in the wiki and on thewebsite, has as much user-related info as developer info, it needs to be split into 2 FAQs, which I've just started working on. (Maybe the user faq would be on the Learn page?)
Seems sensible for the user FAQ to be there under Learn. Often projects will place the FAQ at a top level, which would be fine too if there's room.
Long term it doesn't really make sense to have two copies of the FAQ, if each is going to have to be maintained independently. So I think it would be a good idea for e.g. the FAQ in wiki to be limited to just developer stuff, and the FAQ in django contain the remaining non-developer stuff.
Section 3 is probably a bit TMI for users, even though we'd *like* users to know all this stuff. Perhaps pick out a handful of the most user-useful Q&A's for the django faq, and move the remainder to the wiki FAQ.
Section 4 probably sounds like it should go to the developer FAQ but actually it's a recruitment hook to encourage users to become developers, so it really should belong in the user faq. Question 4.3 can be dropped I think (it's just providing a link which has bitrotted). 4.4 doesn't belong and can go to the developer FAQ if it's even still relevant.
I find that the answer to item 2.11 (Is there a way to apply agradient to a stroke so that it bends with the stroke?), links to 2 images, which are no longer there. If I knew what the author of that faq item was talking about, I could substitute some other images. I sort of know what the text is alluding to, but without the images, it's not clear. There are at least 3 or 4 ways that I know of, to fake a curved gradient (although maybe just a couple specifically for a stroke). And I can certainly describe each one (in the answer). And I know that there is a tutorial packed with Inkscape (share/examples/rope-3D.svg), which I can provide directions for readers to find. But the community is FULL of really nice tutorials. I know that, because of my research in writing this page on my Inkscape support website http://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/index.php. And coincidentally, I just wrote a tutorial on one of these techniques.
It's a good point that there's plenty of good tutorials out there. Our software documentation is also a lot better than when this FAQ was initially written, too.
Don't be shy about curating. If you find FAQ items that are relatively advanced or obscure questions but that are already adequately covered by the official documentation, just drop those questions.
Similarly, if you follow the user list or the #inkscape user channel and see questions being asked a lot (and that sound likely to continue being asked long in the future), consider adding Q&A's for those.
If there are items which are really just bugs, and we have bug reports open on them, then that item probably would be better mentioned on Release Notes in the Known Issues section, along with any workarounds. It would be useful to have an item in the FAQ that recommends users check the Known Issues for the release they're using.
There should also be a Q&A for people looking for more specific tips and tricks for using Inkscape, to a page with a listing of Tutorials. We probably shouldn't directly link to specific tutorials since a) the links would bitrot, and b) we'd have requests to add links to more and more tutorials.
So my first question: When I come across bad links, (dead,empty, not found pages, etc), what would be the best way to handle it? Can I link to any appropriate image or tutorial? Or should the links only go to "official" resources? What if those "official" resources don't exist?
Use your best judgment, but if you restrict to only linking to official resources then that should make future maintenance easier since there theoretically should be less bitrot.
As to current links to missing official resources, those items are probably around *someplace*. It may be just that the URL has changed due to server movements. Or it might be recoverable from bzr or sourceforge svn. I also have old backups of previous incarnations of the website. If you give me some specific link examples I can help chase down where things may have moved to.
The 2nd question: When I come across answers to user-relatedquestions in the FAQ, such as item 2.21 (Can I change the Inkscape theme?) where the answer is in wiki, what should I do? In this case, the answer provides a link to here: http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Customizing_Inkscape which is a fairly substantial page in the wiki. If that info should not be in the wiki, where should it be? Should I write all that info from the wiki page, in the answer in the faq?
I think it's a bit too much for the FAQ. The contents of that wiki page looks like it really ought to be part of some official documentation, like the man page or something. Also I think it probably isn't that 'frequent' of a question so once it's in the program documentation it can be dropped from the FAQ.
There might be a few other FAQ items like this, that should just move to proper docs.
Thanks for your help. And btw, since I'm such a newbie to themailing list, please let me know if I say or do something wrong.
Welcome to the list! Great post. :-)
Bryce