- Wed Nov 23, 2016 8:13 am
#14550
Well....
as a 'Newbie' (but an old, somewhat experienced Tech), & a new contributor to this site I could perhaps add my 2c worth.
I feel that the idea of a 'Newbie' guide is a great idea. I would suggest that making all comments on the forum open source as far as copyright goes (of course if this is achievable), then have a group that gradually gleans the elements of wisdom, & knocks them into a documentation package (as in a closed Wiki: only approved people can edit the Wiki page.)
My other suggestion is to make the ''Newbie' guide fairly concise & to the point. You could link out to more detailed explanations for more complex uses. (ie only cover a very basic build, install, program in the Newbie guide.) Remember this is for us to 'sell' our system, so I feel we need to let the potential user know what we can supply, but for the more experienced person, have information available on what & why of more complex installs.
Documentation in Open source projects is often very good. As an example, I am a PCLinuxOS user. PCLOS has a very good forum, that has a 'closed' area for developers, it has a magazine that is web-published monthly, & a well maintained Wiki. One thing PCLOS does is to have documentation (& the magazine articles) proof read by a group of volunteers. The docs are broken down into manageable portions, & usually checked by more than one person. Corrections & alterations are highlighted with an auditing trail so the changes are obvious. (Easily done in modern word processors, such as LIbreOffice/OpenOffice, or even that overpriced mass-market offering from a well-known company!) Of course, it needs an editor/maintainer to oversee the changes, & include relevant ones in the final document.
Personally, I am possibly more experienced than the average punter: now retired, I have played with bikes & cars seemingly forever. I have an efi Guzzi, & they are easily hacked/tuned (Marelli ECU). I have always learnt by doing. The Web has now made that really easy, once you can sort the good from the bad. I have become involved in this project because I am building a classic race bike, so need programmable ignition.
regards, Doug