From: Gavin Sinclair <gsinclair@...>
Date: 2005-10-12T19:41:53+09:00
Subject: Re: verifying proper vim-ruby install

Nikolai Weibull wrote:
> > And I don't echo the RTFM stuff, either.  A question from a reasonable
> > person means something wasn't clear to a user that was clear to a
> > developer.  The sensible resolution: developer thanks user and tries
> > to make the software clearer in what it's doing, or whatever.  So
> > thanks, Mark.
>
> How was this clear to a developer?

It [what happens during a vim-ruby install and how to verify it] is
clear to a devloper [me].  I see no harm in reviewing the vim-ruby
installer and adding some informative output (so long as I think it's
worthwhile; I ain't gonna accede to every single request).

Vim is a complex piece of software.  It takes ages to know what's going
on with it all.  It's reasonable to expect Vim newbies to be able to
use the vim-ruby stuff, which means they shouldn't be expected to read
every piece of Vim documentation.

> Dealing with Vim and its runtime
> files isn't the most easy task one can undertake.

There you go.

> Understanding why something doesn't work for another user even less so.

Mark never asked anyone to diagnose his problem, nor did he state he
had a problem.  He just wanted to know, I gather, "what next?"

> Something that should perhaps been taken off-list:
>
> I guess my grief stems from an overall dislike for the over-inflated
> importance of the vim-ruby project as a separate entity.  As all (?) the
> files are included in the Vim distribution anyway, why not just keep it
> there?  So far, this separation has made us miss an important release,
> namely 6.3, that contained the old files instead.  The 6.3 release will
> finally be superseded by 6.4, but that's been over a year of questions
> regarding what files to use, how to install, and a general confusion
> over what's going on.
>
> To me, _the sensible resolution_ would be to merge the vim-ruby project
> with mainline Vim so that there won't be any need for RTFMs from me or
> "How do I install vim-ruby" from users,

I have no problem with the project being merged if that's the sensible
thing to do.  It wasn't the sensible thing to do when we started the
project, because there was no Vim release on the horizon.  Such
releases are pretty rare, and the vim-ruby files were immature, so they
needed an independent release cycle.  Whether that's the case any more,
I'm not the best person to judge.

Cheers,
Gavin