Re: Proposal for "Getting Help" page for LilyPond web site

[Carl D. Sorensen]

On 11/27/08 7:24 PM, "Graham Percival" <address@hidden> wrote:

> On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 10:53:11AM -0700, Carl D. Sorensen wrote:
>> I'm not sure who is currently managing the development of the main LilyPond
>> web page,
> 
> Nobody.  Hence my proposal that we have a GWP, probably not before
> Jan.

I agree.  The GWP should be a good thing.  Are you planning on changing your
middle name to Wallace or William?

> 
>> I just went to the LilyPond web site with the idea in mind of being a
>> totally new user, perhaps even a Windows user who has never jumped into the
>> Linux/Open Source/GDP community before.
> 
> Yep, it sucks.  Hence my proposal that we have a GWP.
> 
>> The current paths are to go to Documentation / Support (which is reasonable,
>> but doesn't have anything about help in it directly), About / Contact (which
>> is also reasonable, but also doesn't have anything about help in it
>> directly).
> 
> Yeah, that's confusing and not helpful.  Hence my proposal that...
> 
>> What if we put a link under Quick Links on the main page, titled Getting
>> Help, which pointed to a Getting Help page?
> 
> "The solution to having too many places to look for information is
> to add another place to look for information" ?

For me the problem was not that there were too many places to look for
information, but that

1) There was nothing on the home page pointing to obtaining help or support;
all of those links were buried at the second level or deeper.

2) There was no single source to go to for getting help -- it was scattered
through a couple of links.

> 
> I'm of the opinion that, with a properly designed/overhauled web
> page, this kind of thing wouldn't be necessary.  That said, a
> cheap band-aid solution like this might be appropriate for a quick
> fix.

I agree.  The cost is really low.  I'd have it done already, but I'm having
trouble getting inkscape installed so it's accessible from the command line,
as opposed to an OS/X app.

> 
>> I think such a page would be helpful to new users as a single point of
>> contact.
> 
> Your proposal goes too far.  New users need to know two things:
> 1) lilypond has no GUI.  (the wiki link takes care of this)
> 2) read the 2.11 docs.  (this web page could do this)
> 
> Everything else is covered, and *should* be covered, in the docs.
> Notably LM 1.2.
> 

I disagree.  LM 1.2 does describe that there is a user list, and a devel
list.  But it's written doc form, not web page form.

I think that some page on getting help *should* be part of GWP.  But you
have a pretty good sense of doc needs, so I remain open to being convinced
(but probably not until I see the GWP design, which doesn't yet exist).
> 
> Once new users know those two points, there have been no other
> HONEST questions or comments from confused users.  We've had three
> people in the past month continue to blather useless fluff after
> being told to read the 2.11 LM, but that's beside the point.
> 

You've got a point there.  The only problem we've had has been people who
refuse to read the LM.  But I still think it would help to have a page on
getting help that is visible from the home page.

Thanks,

Carl