[REBOL] Re: Wanted: a Libmaster - and a FAQ posse
From: gerardcote:sympatico:ca at: 30-Sep-2002 14:44
Hi Ed,
You posted :
> /// FAQ Writers, step forward by this Tuesday Oct 1
>
> Thinking beyond the library, I propose to lead an
> effort to create a much richer FAQ for REBOL. I admire
> the Javascript FAQ at www.IRT.org (
> http://developer.irt.org/script/script.htm ) and I
> think REBOL could benefit from a similar resource.
>
> In this vein, I've amassed roughly 1000 questions from
> messages on this list and other language FAQs. Most of
> the questions are newbie-level and have a
> web/HTML/Javascript perspective. They require clear,
> well thought-out answers.
>
> I've been disgracefully remiss about getting a posse
> together to tackle this. But shame has no value if it
> doesn't beget action.
>
> Any REBOLs with a flair for writing/editing
> documentation who would like to contribute time and
> expertise, please contact me directly no later than
> Tuesday, October 1.
Sorry for the late answer but I'm now in the process of covering my house Roof by myself
since last thursday - so my time is
accounted for by now and for the next 2 weeks before I return to some week-end study
until mid-december.
But since looking at this ML and learning REBOL are two of my favorite "rest areas" -
I promise you that I will do all my possible
to review and hopefully answer by myself as much as I can of your 1000 questions.
I already have thought about some of them for myself - not couched on paper yet however
- since I go quickly to the Web or to the
REBOL console to answer them as soon as they arrive.
As I also planned to start a new Tutorial/book about REBOL for starters who want to look
at some first programming language using
REBOL as their first tool - I didn't forget you Tim about what you are doing with hi-schoolers
in Alaska and I'll also contact you
as soon as possible - this will be of some usefulness to me and many others too. This
the part I was missing the most when I was
starting, even if there is much doc on the REBOL web site in many forms. But what I wanted
to get at hand was some kind of "goal or
task related" index and searching tool. The "how-to" were the most useful parts as much
as were the official docs. The new official
DOCs are missing too much examples to accompany the formal description of the REBOL
WORDS. I even found that the format of the
older Official DOCS - those on the accompanying REBOL for Dummies book - are better looking
and easier to work with. May be it is a
matter of style or presentation since when I looked back at the new official DOCs I found
almost the same information. May be some
examples missing but not much difference. I have yet to look back at the diffs. however.
I hope this new FAQ arsenal will overcome this small hole in part as much as the planned
REBOL SCRIPTS LIBRARY will help too - for
starters to use some already "partly" tested REBOL code as a basis for their work.
So if you want me to begin review your FAQ and submit some answers when it will be possible,
simply send your list to me. I am
working on a machine hosted by a Win98 OS.
I'm waiting more input from you as the leader of this project. Also the idea of submitting
any question to a wiki has some already
tested virtue but any other way will do - like any Conference or Forum on /IOS or Yahoo
Groups.
I also plan to work on a derived "help add-on" that could quickly put Parens around the
parameters found in any (or most simple)
line of REBOL coding.
This has been discussed here in some other thread (see refs. from Gregg and Ladislav)
and is what also blocked me at first try from
quickly reading some already existing REBOL scripts - well may be I would have not understood
the algo. in the first reading but at
least I would have skipped the search for the right number of arguments in the first
place !!! - and this is some BAD REMARK that
arise VERY OFTEN from Outsiders or newbies that give up after some try reading some REBOL
code.
This simple tool - that also could be used as part of some "pretty lister" - could save
REBOLers this too frequent (but nevertheless
REAL) comment about REBOL coding "laziness" (read one of the last refs. from Jason about
the outsider's view of REBOL - from Python
coders and the like!).
Regards,
Gerard
P.S. I will do my best regarding the following but don't wait for me if I can't get at
it quickly enough for the others to do the
Job. I'll comment them for the second revision if any is needed ...
> Gotta move fast, time is the enemy. Serious offers
> only. I will send out a reminder this Monday and start
> parcelling out work immediately. There will be a
> schedule, deadlines and a launch date, so no
> lollygagging!
>
> Pretty simple stuff, but long overdue.
I agree entirely with you !!!
