[documentation] The handbook organization

[Steven Peck]

Greetings all.

There is a post in the distant past that explains the concepts of how
and why the handbooks are ordered the way they are.  Printed out I
believe Gunner Langmark said they were a thousand pages.  So for those
new to the list, let's just bring folks up to speed with memories rather
then digging through the archive.

The About Drupal was to contain the history, what we are, misc
references to pretty sites any marketing and some general knowledge
stuff that didn't fit anywhere but were common questions.  One recent
idea is that System requirements might be better there.  Thoughts?  If
so, we can move it.  It's easy with the handy dandy book module :D

The installation and configuration guide is not actually meant as the
beginners guide to Drupal.  IT can be if you start at the beginning and
click next.  You will progress through requirements, installation,
general configuration to core modules then contrib modules.  Tossing in
the Troubleshooting FAQ for the common issue's and updating.  This
section was meant as a reference and a resource.

The customization and theming was meant as the bits and pieces that
others had contributed that you could use to make a site your own.  It
was not my original idea but someone else's that I merely organized into
logical divisions.  It to is a resource.

The developers handbook has always been a fairly organic thing.  The
first pass organization was to try and organize it so that it was in a
logical context with other related items.  It has been tuned on a
regular basis and some of the older content has been edited and
consolidated over the past several months.

So.  What's missing.  The same thing that has always been missing.
Tutorials.  Site-recipes was an attempt to get people a place to put
things.  Bits and pieces or complete how to's.  We still need tutorials.
We still need a beginners manual.  I always thought of a beginners
manual as a sequential series of steps with links to more expanded
content in the other books as needed.  To help train people how to find
information.  A lot of people that we get have little to no idea how to
research so we have to help them.  That's why I answer with a series of
links to the relevant documentation so often in the forums.  I am not
saying rtm, I am showing How to find the information so they can ask
better questions next time.  Some of these folks are obvious part time
guys (power users or soon to be power users) and by teaching them the
process they can use any IT / Internet resource more effectively.

Now I remember several of us being told by several people (rather
forcefully) that we didn't understand anything and how they were going
to do it better and they were going to show everyone and setup this site
with all this documentation for new people.  It's been eight months now
and I still don't see it so whatever efforts they made are lost.  So I
will say again what I said then.  If someone writes it, we will find a
place for it.  If you have pictures, we can load them up.   In the
beginning it would reside in the Installation and configuration handbook
but as it gained content (with the magic of Drupal book module) we can
easily add another book and have it reside there.  This will be of
benefit to everyone.

I had hoped to have time to finish this series
(http://www.blkmtn.org/book/drupal) and go through an entire WINK
presentation but frankly my workload has been far more insane this year
then predicted.  On the bright side, our new director is tired of us
working 2-3 weekends a month as well as evening hours all the time and
is bringing on new people to reduce the workload.  (whew).  On the other
plus side my wife is 5 months pregnant with our second, but this means a
little less time with Drupal this winter (She likes that I do this, it's
a hobby that keeps me home)

So.... It's been eight months since I re-did the handbook.... Anyone
tried 4.8/5.0?  Thoughts, suggestions?  It's a bit different.  I have
some rather radical thoughts but really want to hear other people's
suggestions first. 

Steven
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