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Re: Releasing manuals less often, ditching translations

 

All I know is that I have tried really hard to get people to help out. Sure,
I have had my own life to deal with as well (Which has also be busy), so I
have not always been around. But I have tried to get people to help edit /
proof read. I have even posted new builds of the pdf after changes have been
made. I have to say that it really feels like I have been doing most of the
work myself :( This is quite de-motivating.

It would really be great if things could be turned around. With the Lucid
release it really felt like we were all working as a team. With Maverick,
that has just not happened. Dare I say it, but the manual project kind of
feels orphaned.

I hope things can change.

All the best

Chris

On 31 October 2010 23:16, Ilya Haykinson <haykinson@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> So in conclusion, i don't think we should release less often, we should
>> just work to improve our workflow and the workflow of new contributors
>> whether they be authors, editors or translators. Also i do remember that
>> Ilya was around a lot during the lucid cycle sort of being an editor in
>> chief, but since then we haven't had anyone doing that.
>>
>>
> I've been keeping up with the mailing list traffic, but have been very busy
> at work for the last 5 months or so -- so much so that I couldn't really
> contribute to the Maverick release. I completely agree that the main thing
> that is required is some small group of people who serve as the editors and
> drive the process along -- making decisions on where to cut and where to
> focus, etc. Obviously I couldn't spare the time for the Maverick cycle, and
> am not yet sure how the Natty cycle will look for me (the first couple of
> months are going to be tough for sure).
>
> However, I think it's critical to release every 6 months, even if the
> quality isn't great. Only through frequent releases combined with small
> improvements can the end product end up great -- if you take 2 years to do a
> release, I think the team will fall apart.
>
> My recommendations are (some are the same as what others have recommended):
>
>  - manage translations separately, and do not release the manual to
> translators until after the manual is ready to go. this will yield a
> smoother translator experience as the content won't be changing from under
> them, and will simplify the manual itself.
>  - delay the manual publishing date for 3-5 weeks after each release, to
> allow content and screenshots to catch up
>  - by beta1, have a firm list of changes to be included in the manual; a
> week after release date, cut anything that hasn't been written or is
> possible to get to the highest quality.
>  - work to improve the process. I think this is the least important item,
> honestly, since core contributors will always be ok with downloading TeX and
> dealing with compilation etc, and while it's key for long-term project
> health to bring in casual contributors, I think that a) this is a
> stand-alone process that shouldn't be mixed into shipping the manual itself,
> and b) the manual comes first, well before automation or better processes.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> -ilya
>
>
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