ubuntu-manual team mailing list archive

[Benjamin Humphrey <humphreybc@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

Here's my weekly update.

==== MEETING LOG ====

Log can be found here:
http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2010/01/17/%23ubuntu-meeting.html

==== MEETING SUMMARY ====

Mainly we voted on styles and formatting of things like notes and in text
warnings etc.
Full vote results: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-manual/Meetings#MeetingSummary

==== NEW MEETING TIME ====

After some consideration, I believe that 2000 UTC/GMT on a Saturday would be
a better time for everyone. Thoughts?

Note: We are also going to take a break next weekend and not have a meeting.

==== UBUNTU DOCS TEAM ====

I have been in talks with the docs team, and here's how it is:


   - They would have preferred us to use their existing content from the
   start, instead of writing new content.
   - They don't think we have a clear target audience, it's too overlapping
   with their own work.
   - They do however appreciate our enthusiasm and the attention we've
   received.


They proposed that we convert everything to docbook (because the docs use
docbook) and then erase all our content thus far and replace it with the
existing content from the Community Help, Wiki docs and the in-built OS
documentation.

I said that wasn't an option as it's far too late into our cycle to change
away from LaTeX and also erase all the work we've done thus far. I proposed
to them this as a possible solution:


   - We keep doing what we're doing now, but I highly encourage the authors
   to read and use sections from the current docs in their own chapters.
   - We don't change from LaTeX in the meantime, number one priority is
   getting our first release out.
   - Our work is completely open for the docs team to use.
   - We refine our target audience some more so that we don't cover the same
   ground as the docs team...
   - ... and perhaps make our manual a little "less detailed" and leave the
   detailed stuff up to the current docs, which we point to. So the manual
   becomes more of a "Quick Start" guide.
   - After our first release is out, we can convert a version to docbook for
   the doc team to use.

If anyone follows the doc team mailing list, you may have noticed that our
Manual Project has actually sparked a bit of a potential in-built OS help
documentation overhaul. A lot of the responses on websites that blogged
about the manual were along the lines of "Why didn't they have documentation
from the start?" etc - it appears that most people are completely unaware of
the in-built help documentation.

So, discussion is in place to completely change the docs, replace yelp with
something else, change the menu entry and a whole heap of other things. I
have offered to help out extensively with this, as I think it is VERY
important that we educate users about the resources they have at their
disposal. It's no good having great content if no one knows about it.

I am also going to try to find a way to use the publicity that we have got
to also promote the core documentation as well. Overall, I think both
parties are happy - we get to continue producing a manual our way, and the
docs team get many benefits from us in return.

Feedback?


Keep up the good work, we've only got three weeks till alpha so keep that
content pumping!

Regards,
-- 
Benjamin Humphrey

Ubuntu Manual Project Leader
Dunedin, New Zealand

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-manual
www.interesting.co.nz
www.benjaminhumphreyphotography.com