[Scribus] Why do?

[Allen]

Hi Andreas,

I would never schmooze you when it comes to serious stuff like making 
software really work.

I either misunderstood or misread the way the software was listed and 
did not realize the 1.3x branch was beta. So the first hint would be to 
make it much clearer on the download page. Frankly I'd have the beta 
download on a separate page like most of the projects do.

Another tip is to create a map (diagram) of every option's location (use 
a number as a fixed key) first so that a short description can be used 
to understand what the idea of the option is. Then the number comes into 
play so if it is renamed or when it gets moved it can be found again. 
Stumbling though nested menus is no fun without a cheat sheet.

The number could also be referenced in the docs even if there is nothing 
much written yet. This kind of placeholder, with an added date, means 
that you won't miss updating the docs when the function changes.

BTW, I could not agree more with your complaint about some "pro" user 
docs. Most of the time they are an afterthought and written by an 
engineer. I've had my share of attempting to understand what is not 
included because "...everyone knows that...." It's not that engineers 
don't understand what they are doing, rather it is that they have not 
studied how to convey information to people, a much more complex and 
frustrating experience than doing the same to a machine. The productions 
runs are so much smaller and the API are not well documented for the 
cellular computers compared to the silicon computers. ;->

Allen

avox wrote:
> 
> Allen-16 wrote:
>>
>> Christoph Sch?fer wrote:
>>
>> [snip]
>>
>>> As for the rest, the learning curve for scribus is as flat as it can be
>>> for a 
>>> DTP program. Serious DTP isn't trivial, and most of the difficulties for 
>>> newbies arise from 
>> Christoph,
>>
>> I beg to differ. I've been using typesetting and layout programs since 
>> the Compugraphic and the 8088. Scribus is harder to get going in than 
>> any other DTP or layout program I've used in 20+ years. It's like an HP 
>> calculator compared to a TI 20 years ago. It works, I guess, but 
>> intuitive it is not. I wasn't taught that way so it's hard to relate to. 
>> The docs are hard to follow and there is not much in the way of real 
>> world examples to work through to get your head around it.
>>
>> I'm sorry, but as a very new, but skilled DTP, Scribus user, I have to 
>> agree with Pat.
>>
> 
> Cool, finally someone not schmoozing us ;-).
> 
> I think we developers know that usability of Scribus still has to be
> improved, 
> especially in the text area. Detailed proposals are more than welcome.
> 
> 1.3.x is a development version, which means that new features often appear
> at 
> some strange place and move to a logical place only later. Hints are
> welcome!
> 
> I also agree that the online docs are not as structured and complete as one
> would expect from a commercial program. They still -- and in this they are
> much better than some professional docs -- give a good overview to DTP 
> workflows and good introductions to some DTP specific problems. I do hope
> that the Scribus book will provide a good and more complete documentation in
> the future.
> 
> Finally, if you have suggestions for improving usability, just file an issue
> on 
> bugs.scribus.net. We are looking forward to it.
> 
> Cheers
> /Andreas