<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Something I've not seen in these discussions is the <a href="http://api.drupal.org">api.drupal.org</a> site. <div>Simply comparing at a high level <a href="http://api.drupal.org">api.drupal.org</a> & someplace like <a href="http://php.net">php.net</a>:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://api.drupal.org">api.drupal.org</a>: each page has the routine source, number of times used by core, & comments that are rarely used.</div><div><a href="http://php.net">php.net</a>: a description of the usage, inputs & outputs of a routine, 'commentary' about the routine, and verbose community comments of varying quality.</div><div><br></div><div>Granted, <a href="http://php.net">php.net</a> has its own issues, but at least it is useful. I never have php questions longer than it takes to look up the issue there. On the other hand, <a href="http://api.drupal.org">api.drupal.org</a> is only useful to core developers. What about everyone else? Fixing that would go a long way towards making our documentation issues better. I advocate these forum solutions being proposed include rolling out the same ranking comment system for <a href="http://api.drupal.org">api.drupal.org</a>. <br><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">Sincerely,</div><div>-Blake</div><div><a href="mailto:bsenftner@earthlink.net">bsenftner@earthlink.net</a></div><div><a href="http://www.BlakeSenftner.com">www.BlakeSenftner.com</a></div><div><a href="http://www.MissingUbercartManual.com">www.MissingUbercartManual.com</a></div></span></span></div></span></span>
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<br><div><div>On Feb 1, 2011, at 11:25 AM, Josh Koenig wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">I like the shape this discussion is taking. As few things:<div><br></div><div>1) I don't think the StackExchange model is really about "Support." It's about "Answers." There's a non-trivial difference. While answers are helpful, as are documentation, "support" is about getting specific help for your specific problem. That's almost always got an ongoing human component to it. </div>
<div><br></div><div>2) I would really love to see the Forums improve as well! There's a huge value in that use-case, even if it's not something that core developers use a lot. They're popular! :)</div><div><br>
</div><div>3) No comment on how we govern the documentation process, but maybe the mission of d.o in this context should be re-thought? The most definitive and up to date documentation we have is embedded in the code and exposed via api.d.o. The handbooks have a lot of stuff, but much of it lacks the same quality. There's also an enormous amount of valuable howto and faq material "out there" on other places in the internet. </div>
<div><br></div><div>If the handbook were to re-tune the quality/quantity ratio, and focus more on documenting the common use-cases and settled questions (as well as the experience of first-timers) it could end up providing more value....</div>
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