[mythtv-users] Mailing list and a Wiki... and a dessert topping

[John Sturgeon]

Michael J. Sherman wrote:

> Why not just submit patches against the official doc?  You don't see a 
> section for all that random jape?  Then create one.  Make a new 
> appendix.  Make a new chapter about tuning your hardware.  Whatever. 
> This is how open-source software works.  YOU DON'T RUN OFF AND START 
> YOUR OWN THING when you don't think something is adequate.  You 
> improve what is there.

Michael, I believe that the current MythTV howto/docs are just what they 
are, and that's a good thing.  I also think that there is a place for a 
wiki.  You might not find it useful, and that's fine, but many of us 
find it an excellent way to organize the seemingly innumerable and 
sometimes random topics that are of interest that pop up over and over 
again on this list.  A wiki is a collaborative effort by the USERS to 
support EACHOTHER.

>
> I'm getting fed up, too.  But because nobody is listening to Isaac and 
> instead pining for a "wiki".  I'm with Isaac on this one.  Keep all 
> the information in one place.

Keeping 'all' the information on one place is impossible.  Would you 
(for example) advocate that Jarod shut down his site and turn over his 
Fedora Core specific Howto to Isaac?

>
> I've been trying to look through that Wiki that someone set up, and I 
> hate it.  

Then... fix it.  That's what's so cool

> Why is everything titled with NamesLikeThis ?  Can't it even deal with 
> spaces?  It's very randomly structured, and I certainly don't see how 
> it's useful.  

The answer to this is simple.  If you don't see how it is useful, then 
you have one of two choices.  1) ignore it, and don't use it.  2) help 
fix it, and make it something that you would use.

> Oh, and there's a Guides section, then a HOWTO section.  What's the 
> difference?  

Good question.  Why don't you log in and fix it?

> And I click on the first HOWTO (Widescreen) and get a page about 
> creating a new page.  I don't want that!  I thought it said it was a 
> HOWTO on getting Widescreen displays to work right.  And there are 
> sentences on that page like "To create your own templates, add a page 
> with a name matching the regex "[a-z]Template$".  Huh?  Yeah, that's 
> going to help a newbie figure things out.  I'm sorry, but it all seems 
> like a giant step backwards.

It takes more time to gripe about it than to fix it.  The way a wiki 
works (or at least works well) is that somebody gets the information up, 
then folks go back and continually refine it.

>
> I've been trying to work on a new chapter for the doc on customizing 
> themes, but threads like these just take away all my love for MythTV.

How about putting what you have so far up on the wiki, then let the 
community refine it.  Once it becomes mature, correct, usable, and 
complete, submit it to Isaac for inclusion into the docs?  That way we 
can all help you work on your documentation.  Wouldn't it be great to 
have multiple eyes looking at it for editing errors, spelling, typos etc...?

>
> /depressed

/encouraged

--
John Sturgeon <><