Hi,
I have to say that I readed carefully the first edition and then get an eye on
the following [pdf and rb files].
> In fact the tutorial and user guide seems to have been recently updated
> (July for one, August for the other). That would seem to be something to
> advertise (in the notification sense)!
I could not recall how long I am asking to put size of the file and creation (or
modification) date in the two Download pages (was one when I first asked that).
With the time, I finally get the file size * [thus now people have an idea of
how long it could take to download] but I am still waiting for a "Version #" or
a "Release Date".
Even if I do not read all the downloaded pdf file, I do not like to [SPEND SO
EXPENSIVE TIME TO] download twice the same pdf file.
I do that at each major REALbasic version (and sometimes, I get both versions:
Mac+Win), but excepted in early July (my iBook crashed) where I have to download
the documentations to read them on Windows, I never download them withing minor
version life [because there is no date/version].
This is a first (at nearly no coast: 30/60 seconds for all the documentation
files ?) step to improve.
Then, Joseph advice is fine:
a. add a link in the two Download pages to the "Reference Library" ("Information
Center");
b. add a link in the two Download pages to the "Examples Libray" (I think at
Jonathan nice examples page; but it can be expanded to some other examples)
c. refine all Language Reference examples (the ones that really do something, no
the single lines that "show only the syntax") and put them in a "Language
Reference Library" (using the same look and feel Jonathan gets in its examples
page or similar) **
d. add a link to a page that have a list of links to web tutorials:
a. Name of the Tutorial (name of the explained technology)
b. A simple description paragraph that shows what the tutorial said
c. The link to the web page
d. Eventually: the name of the page owner
(the owner may eventually ask this one)
e. Eventually: the name of the development environment used in the Tutorial
(so too newbie people knows that they will get some hard time
understanding the tutorial before downloading it)
Nota:
-----
Some people already told about adding/expanding explanations on other
subjects/technologies (Tutorials / HowTo) on other technologies (lacked in the
current tutorial); that is good too.
The REALbasic Developer Magazine case:
Some people may be angry about having to pay for the informations given by the
magazine. But we have to pay if we want Matt (RBTDG) book. So this is not a
problem at all.
Of course, when the magazine explain in-depth a technology (say a three to ten
pages article on a specific technology), IMHO there is nothing to rant against
that, and the people who want to read the article have to buy the magazine.
_BUT_ a single tip published in the magazine (say three to ten lines of code)
_have_ to be explained elsewhere too.
These lines are just some example of how I feel about the development
environment and any third party; the same applies to the plugins vs native code
_OR_ the provided MacOS (or Windows) documentation vs informations published in
magazines.
And naturally, the ratio between what REAL Software _have_ to provide (included
in the tool price) and what other will provide (we have to pay for) may vary
from person to person.
In an utopic world where people work for pleasure and get no money in return
[everything is free], this discussion would have no sense. Our world is not like
that; people have to get bucks for their bangs, and the question is about how
many bangs can I get with my bucks (or how many bucks people are ready to give
me for these bangs ;) ).
Cheers,
Emile
* This is for V92 - RTC users (no DSL connection).
** Back to the AppleSoft Basic time.
I had created two folders that I fill with all the examples I found in the paper
documentation.
The first folder was for the introductory book given with the Apple //c;
The second folder was for the two AppleSoft BASIC Reference Manuals I brough
later (when incidentally someone told me those beast exists !)
I also put there (a 800KB floppy disk) some screen shots (even when the paper
display them).
-- ---------- Original mail:
gettingstarted-request at lists dot realsoftware dot com wrote:
Subject: RE: Survey: Did you do the REALbasic tutorial?
From: "Joseph Claeys" <joseph at claeys dot com>
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 12:00:11 -0500
In fact the tutorial and user guide seems to have been recently updated
(July for one, August for the other). That would seem to be something to
advertise (in the notification sense)! So now I'm wondering if the
educational curriculum is being updated? It seems to me that many beginners
would benefit from working through those too (in fact all the learning tools
could be integrated then simply provide the "Teacher Edition" that focuses
on discussion and lab projects).
At the very least RS should consider putting all that stuff together on a
single page. Perhaps calling it the "Learning Center", or "Knowledge
Center", or other such title. I too had a difficult time finding it...
Generally I consider "downloads" to be applications/tools or other such
items.
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