Re: Schedule for next version? & Some Volunteerism

[Andy Choens]

I won't claim to possess any pre-existing skills at creating reference 
manuals, since I've never done it before; but I suppose I'm willing to 
try (especially if someone wants to help me!)

If you guys have thought about this before and there's something I can 
read to bring myself up to speed, feel free to point a URL @ me. 
Otherwise, I'll just start with a couple of simple questions . . . .

1) Format -- Would this be a file that will be distributed with PSPP 
like a built in tutorial like SPSS or a downloadable "manual" or some 
kind of a web-site / wiki?

2) Use Case - I can think of a couple of important use cases
   A) SPSS user switching to PSPP.
      i)  GUI User
      ii) Syntax Nut

    B) New User to PSPP
      i)  GUI User
      ii) Soon To Be - Syntax Nut

Me thinks these are sufficiently different situations that they probably 
warrant some specific consideration. Given the discussions I've seen in 
the archives, it seems like most of the current users are SPSS refugees 
/ programmers. Given the low-profile of the project, that will probably 
continue to be the largest source of new users for the immediate future 
(I could be waaay off base here, I'm just talking out my ass).

If we can come up with a set of concrete outcomes, I'll try my hand at 
something like this.

--andy
John Darrington wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 03:26:53PM -0400, Andy Choens wrote:
>      And, since I'm sticking my foot solidly in my mouth with this post, I 
>      should pony up and volunteer. I can't help but notice that the 
>      documentation that's on the site is a little out of date (0.4). What 
>      should I do to get involved with helping with documentation?
>
>
> The item of documentation that is most sorely missing is a user
> tutorial.  The existing docs are (IMO) a reasonably good reference
> manual, but there's no comprehensive "How to get started using PSPP"
> documentation. 
>
> So if you're good at writing that sort of thing, then it'd be a real
> step forward.
>
> J'
>
>
>   

--
Andrew Choens, MSW
Research Policy Analyst
Hornby Zeller Associates, Inc.
(518) 273 - 1614