Re: Proposal for "Getting Help" page for LilyPond web site

[Graham Percival]

On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 10:53:11AM -0700, Carl D. Sorensen wrote:
> I'm not sure who is currently managing the development of the main LilyPond
> web page,

Nobody.  Hence my proposal that we have a GWP, probably not before
Jan.

> I just went to the LilyPond web site with the idea in mind of being a
> totally new user, perhaps even a Windows user who has never jumped into the
> Linux/Open Source/GDP community before.

Yep, it sucks.  Hence my proposal that we have a GWP.

> The current paths are to go to Documentation / Support (which is reasonable,
> but doesn't have anything about help in it directly), About / Contact (which
> is also reasonable, but also doesn't have anything about help in it
> directly).

Yeah, that's confusing and not helpful.  Hence my proposal that...

> What if we put a link under Quick Links on the main page, titled Getting
> Help, which pointed to a Getting Help page?

"The solution to having too many places to look for information is
to add another place to look for information" ?

I'm of the opinion that, with a properly designed/overhauled web
page, this kind of thing wouldn't be necessary.  That said, a
cheap band-aid solution like this might be appropriate for a quick
fix.

> I think such a page would be helpful to new users as a single point of
> contact.

Your proposal goes too far.  New users need to know two things:
1) lilypond has no GUI.  (the wiki link takes care of this)
2) read the 2.11 docs.  (this web page could do this)

Everything else is covered, and *should* be covered, in the docs.
Notably LM 1.2.


Once new users know those two points, there have been no other
HONEST questions or comments from confused users.  We've had three
people in the past month continue to blather useless fluff after
being told to read the 2.11 LM, but that's beside the point.

Cheers,
- Graham