Re: Getting help web page

[Carl D. Sorensen]

On 12/2/08 4:37 PM, "Eyolf Østrem" <address@hidden> wrote:

> On 02.12.2008 (17:01), Jonathan Kulp wrote:
>> Mats Bengtsson wrote:
>>> - At the main page, I would expect to quickly find my way to a page like
>>> your Getting Help, if I looked below the title "Dive into ... the
>>> LilyPond" and followed the link to "More about LilyPond".
>>> 
>> 
>> I agree. It'd be nice for the "Getting Help" link to be more prominent.
> 
> I suggest a "Help" as the rightmost item in the top bar of links. That's
> where poeple would be looking for it.

Hmm.  I hadn't thought of that.  Help is generally at the right-hand end of
the menu bar for applications, but I haven't seen that as a common location
for web site links.  I have mixed feelings about it.  I like the idea of
having it in the top menu structure, but I also like having it integrated in
with the Crash Course and Tutorial in the next level down.

Anybody else want to chime in on this?

> 
> Other than that: good. One comment only: The sentence:
> 
> "(And until version 2.12 is released, users of either version 2.10 or 2.11
> should use the Learning Manual from version 2.11)."
> 
> -- that's confusing enough to require a separate help page... I assume
> those users should use the LM even after 2.12 is released, so how about sth
> like:

There is a Learning Manual for 2.10.  But the LM for 2.11 is *much* better
than that for 2.10. The link takes the user to the 2.11 Learning Manual, and
I just don't want users to think that's a mistake.

> 
> "It is written for the latest stable release candidate (soon to be released
> as version 2.12), but the explanation of the general principles of Lilypond
> applies to earlier versions as well."

I'm not sure how much of the LM applies to pre-2.10 LilyPond, so I'm a bit
hesitant to go this way.  As far as I'm concerned, there's no reason for
anybody who's new to LilyPond to be using any version other than 2.10.
Actually, I think everybody should be using 2.11, but I understand that some
packages won't include the development version.

I think it is correct to say that the Learning Manual for 2.11 should be
used by users of both 2.10 and 2.11.  I'm hesitant to go more general than
that.

Of course, once we get 2.12 released, that whole sentence will go away.

What if I ignored the coming 2.12 release, and just rewrote the sentence as

" If you have not yet done so, you should read the Learning Manual from
cover to cover (please use the Learning Manual from version 2.11, which has
been greatly improved from version 2.10). "

Thanks for your input,

Carl