[Digikam-users] Users manual?

[David Talmage]

On Wed Jan  6 12:39 , Tom Cloyd <tomcloyd at comcast.net> sent:


> ...
>Maybe (I don't know) it would be best to port the document to a better 
>known platform - possibly mediawiki or something like that? Docbook is 
>not know well outside of the professional/serious-amateur programming 
>community, I think. It looks to me like there's a choice to be made:
>
>1. Retain docbook format (which I for one do not know and not eager to 
>have to learn - I just don't have any more free time to allocate), so 
>that one can have a portable stand-alone document for packaging, etc.
>2. Port document to easily managed web-only platform which employs 
>readily understandable text entry functionality (some kind of embedded 
>WYSIWYG text input tool), so that minimally computer literate folks who 
>can think, write, and contribute could jump on board the contribution train.
> ...

There is already at least one way to convert docbook to HTML.  See
http://wiki.docbook.org/topic/Html2DocBook.  You might also look at
http://wiki.docbook.org/topic/DocBookPublishingTools.

I won't estimate the amount of work it would take to convert the existing docbook
files to Mediawiki or what have you.  However, the document already exists in
docbook form.  Someone would have to do that conversion if it can't be done
automatically.  That's time better spent on other things.  I don't think you have
time for that, Mr. Cloyd. :-)

Instead of converting to another format and instead of learning docbook, why not
(1) leverage the work that exists and (2) work as a team to update the
documentation?  Some people can write the new text for the documentation.  Other
people can put the new text into docbook.