[Digikam-users] Users manual?

[Gilles Caulier]

2010/1/6 Tom Cloyd <tomcloyd at comcast.net>:
> On 01/06/2010 12:28 AM, Gilles Caulier wrote:
>> 2010/1/5 jdd<jdd at dodin.org>:
>>
>>> Le 05/01/2010 22:39, Mark Greenwood a écrit :
>>>
>>>
>>>> say it again, it's a community. Users help each other.
>>>>
>>> and I have to say that when I began to use digikam the manual was
>>> horrible.
>>>
>>> Now it's online, but very good, with many images and details. A great
>>> job done by I don't know how, but not by me :-(
>>>
>>
>> 60% by me, the rest Gerhard Kulzer and others contributor.
>>
>> The manual is not updated. It still to use 0.9.x screenshot.
>>
>> All manual is written in docbook format and can be exported to html,
>> pdf, ps, txt etc... later.
>>
>> http://websvn.kde.org/trunk/extragear/graphics/doc/digikam/
>>
>> docbook is XML based format, not too complicated to understand. A lots
>> of text are contents, the rest is formating.
>>
>> http://websvn.kde.org/trunk/extragear/graphics/doc/digikam/index.docbook?view=markup
>>
>> I will be happy to see new contributors working on that and updating
>> THE BOOK, because it's a book about digiKam and photography.
>>
>> All screenshot are PNG files.
>>
>> My time to share with it is very reduced now : coding coding coding.
>>
>> But i can guide new contributor to manage this part. It's very simple
>> to do if you know how to start.
>>
>> My best
>>
>> Gilles Caulier
>> _______________________________________________
>> Digikam-users mailing list
>> Digikam-users at kde.org
>> https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/digikam-users
>>
>>
> Gilles,
>
> I greatly like the general direction you thinking is taking this part of
> the project.
>
> 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:

No, it's a wrong solution : why ? because all translations stuff
preformed to handbook in KDE project are automatised with scripts.

>
> 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.
>
> If one opts for #2 (which I favor),
>

In fact habook format is not too complicated to write. But it's not
the most important problem there. We need contents : text +
screenshots. Including contents to handbook can be done later by a
developper.

With this vision of handbook conception, a wiki page can be open to
let's users writting contents.

What do you think about ?

Gilles Caulier