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Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:32:12 +0200
From: Dev at weitling <dev1@weitling.net>
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To: dev@cocoon.apache.org
Subject: Re: [vote] Release Cocoon 2.2-final
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Carsten Ziegeler wrote:
> Dev at weitling wrote:
>>
>> Sorry, I can't agree. Cocoon still has the same fault as many 
>> open-source products: A lack of documentation.
>> I don't know if GSoC is for docs, too, but it is really, really 
>> necessary to improve docs.
>> It's still the same Catch-22: To write docs you need to understand 
>> the developed, to understand the developed you need the docs, ...
>> Writing docs does belong to development, even when it seems to be at 
>> a kindergarden level for newbies!
>>
> I think we all agree that we need docs (or more/better docs), 
> absolutely no doubt. And I think we also agree that writing docs is 
> one task of the development process, and it's an important task.
>
> But we can't force anyone to write docs; and delaying a release 
> because of lacking documentation is not producing the desired effect: 
> instead of getting docs this way, nothing is usually happening: no 
> docs and no release.
> I don't say that I'm happy about this.

Despite my sometimes dumb question here on the list I know Cocoon is 
really cool and still improving. But without good docs the developers 
and the users separate more and more. There are many people who want to 
contribute to Cocoon, but most of them do only have spare time and are 
not paid by a company with interest in Cocoon. For them it's really hard 
to dig trough the docs to understand things before they can even think 
of contributing code.

Why not introduce documentation releases?

BTW: If I could meet some of you wizards and get an indoctrination I 
could/would improve docs.

Florian