[Bf-docboard] Do we need a Blender Manual?

[Kesten Broughton]

Put it this way: a large number of production houses that use blender are
still using 2.49.  The reason is, it's really the last time that stability
and documentation were up to the needs of a production house.

The problem is, our fast moving target.  How do we keep documentation
maintainable?  Blender doesn't stick around the same town for long - it's
off to new adventures every 2 months.  On the other hand, how does
wikipedia stay stable?  It's really about creating a welcoming environment
for the thousands among the hundreds of thousands of users who would like
to contribute.

On a personal note, when i was digging in to blender to teach some
youngsters, i relied on video tutorials first and wiki second.  I started
out wiki first, but got frustrated that my search often gave me a 2.49 page
and half the time there was no 2.59 update.  The vids are sweet, but only
cover an even smaller fraction and ditto the version problems.

I think it would be worth discussing with Ton and others about having a
very stable build (bug count under 50) and setting that as the target for
getting and keeping docs up to date.

I would prioritize tour-de-force efforts by individuals to convert major
fractions of the wiki below

1.  tools and infrastructure for a smooth editing process
2  developing a strong community of core developers
3. developing a really welcoming community for casual contributors
4. developing strong ties between core developers and core wiki team members

Of course, if tour-de-foce is what you have to offer, we'll take that too.
But try to include as much of 1-4 in the effort as possible.

I'm just starting on my second month at new work, so i'll be focused on
that for till end of december, but come jan, i hope to be able to
contribute a little and organize a lot with the rest of the core team.

kesten



On Sun, Dec 2, 2012 at 4:14 AM, Jim Tucker <jim.tucker at live.co.uk> wrote:

>  Hi everyone,
> Following my look at the current state of the Blender wiki manual, I was
> about to start on proposals for a new phase of wiki update work.
>
> But I'm not about to waste my time with unwanted effort.  So first, I
> would like to ask:
>
>       "DO WE NEED A WIKI MANUAL ANY MORE?"
>
> I would like to hear other views on this.  Any docboard replies welcome,
> and I will try and get onto IRC blenderwiki channel later today (i.e. Sun
> 02/12/2012, 1400 UTC)
> to see  if anyone is interested in discussing there.
>
>
> Regards,
> Jim Tucker (sculptorjim)
>
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>


-- 

Kesten Broughton
President and Technology Director,
Solar Mobile Trailers
kesten at solarmobiletrailers.com
www.sunfarmkitchens.ca <http://www.sunfarmkitchens.ca>
512 701 4209
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