From: Randy Kramer <rhkramer@...>
Date: 2006-03-09T07:18:12+09:00
Subject: Re: No documentation for modules on RubyForge?

On Tuesday 07 March 2006 09:16 am, ara.t.howard@noaa.gov wrote:
> anyhow - i hope you realize that i'm not trying to yank your cord - it just
> seems to me that the open source world is full of very busy people working
> extremely hard and then giving that work away, and that it's reasonable to
> expect the rest of us to pitch in when it comes to writing docs so that

I've attempted to write documentation for "products" which I've first had to 
learn from minimal or no documentation.  It is very difficult, and by the 
time I'm done learning the product, I'm often frustrated at the prospect of 
trying to document it.

I'd suggest there has to be a better way--one possibility might be that, if 
the original programmer doesn't have time to create written documentation, he 
take tape recorder in hand and document the program that way.  Interested 
parties could obtain that tape (perhaps download a sound file via the 
Internet?) and begin their documentation efforts from there.

This might save the developer some time, although it would be nice if he 
remained available to answer questions and review draft documentation.

Randy Kramer