[CREATE] LGM11 panel proposal: attracting new devs

Mon Feb 21 09:00:48 PST 2011

I think this topic is important enough (and interesting enough, so far) that
"Documentation of the Future" (meaning all the improve-docs ideas, not just
the write-the-manual-first one) ought to be a panel in its own right, apart
from "attracting new participants" ....

And maybe it ought to be on day one, so we can workshop some of it on days
2+....

It's cool.  LGM's definitely the place where new and unusual FOSS approaches
ought to come out of the woodwork....

Nate

PS: ....

2011/2/21 helen varley jamieson <helen at creative-catalyst.com>

>  very interesting idea to write the manual first :)
>
> with UpStage, we are waiting for the release of a majorly altered &
> enhanced media management system, & as this means rewriting half the manual
> i thought, this is a good time to transfer the manual to flossmanuals; so i
> started it, then i stopped because the students who are doing the coding are
> behind schedule. however, now i think i might just go ahead & write it
> anyway (with others hopefully contributing) & point the students to it to to
> get them inspired & also perhaps pre-empt some things that might have needed
> to be changed later.
>
> h : )
>
>
> On 21/02/11 7:30 AM, Christopher Adams wrote:
>
> Mushon,
>
>  That is a really fine and provocative suggestion on your part—to write
> about software that does not exist but should. It seeks the excluded middle
> between the Floss Manuals which are too perfunctory on the one hand and too
> presumptuous on the other *(An Open Web,* which I also worked on, being a
> species of the latter).
>
>  LGM would be a great opportunity to see these possibilities played out.
>
>  - Christopher
>
>
> ———
> christopher adams
> 86 186 1172 0021
> 49 15 156 219931
> 886 953 036 630
> 1 646 201 3335
> chris.raysend.com
>
> On Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 1:41 PM, jon at rejon.org <jon at rejon.org> wrote:
>
>> I totally agree Mushon. Totally. Manuals are dead. Atrophied. Even
>> worse when they get printed.
>>
>> Yes, totally, make future manuals, then fill in the blanks to them.
>>
>> That is totally the approach I took in participating in the open web book:
>>
>> http://openweb.flossmanuals.net/
>>
>> There is a book sprint in Toronto by adam on the web from the 7 -
>> 12...should talk with adam to see if possible to do one at LGM before
>> or after.
>>
>> So what would the future manual look like? Ideas for that?
>>
>> Jon
>>
>> On Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 11:30 PM, Mushon Zer-Aviv <mushonitp at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> > On Feb 21, 2011, at 4:17, Gregory Pittman <gpittman at iglou.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > All fodder for discussion at LGM. Certainly we need to get out of the
>> dark
>> > ages of documentation as an afterthought.
>> >
>> > Greg
>> >
>> > This is actually a huge issue I recently discussed with Adam Hyde of
>> Floss
>> > Manuals. FM was initially established to address a blind-spot for Floss
>> —
>> > documentation. It developed the book sprint documentation methodology
>> which
>> > I am sure you guys are familiar with.
>> > Last year I participated in "Collaborative Futures" the first book
>> initiated
>> > by FM that was not documenting a procedure but describing the past,
>> present
>> > and future of open networked collaboration. It was much much harder, but
>> > there was something there that really clicked. And after a second sprint
>> on
>> > the book I actually think it's a quite recommended read. (and it is
>> always
>> > available for further editing)
>> > What I proposed to Adam is that FM could start experimenting in writing
>> > manuals for software that was not developed yet. Basically asking "how
>> would
>> > we like it to work?" before we say "this is how do you need to use it."
>> This
>> > would actually be addressing another blind-spot for Floss which is
>> > strategy.
>> > I know Adam is really excited about this idea and maybe LGM could be the
>> > first place to try it out. Do consider it would probably not work the
>> first
>> > time and would need some iterations but it could be a much needed
>> > intervention into a process that we all agree needs some challenging.
>> > The infrequent lurker,
>> > Mushon Zer-Aviv
>> > Mushon.com | Shual.com | @Mushon
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>>
>>
>>
>>  --
>> Jon Phillips
>> http://rejon.org/ | http://fabricatorz.com/
>> chat/skype: kidproto | irc: rejon
>> +1.415.830.3884 (global) | +1-510-499-0894 (sf)
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> --
> ____________________________________________________________
>
> helen varley jamieson: creative catalyst       helen at creative-catalyst.com   http://www.creative-catalyst.comhttp://www.avatarbodycollision.orghttp://www.upstage.org.nz
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-- 
nathan.p.willis
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aim/ym/gtalk:n8willis
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