[dokuwiki] Re: Some Patches...
- From: fabidev@xxxxxxxx
- To: dokuwiki@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:10:22 +0100 (CET)
> If you aren't sure there is a problem being solved here and there
> aren't any bug reports in this area, its not really a change worth
> making ;-).
True
Comment to my motivations (for css rss linebreak et)
i have learned something over the years. i can not expect that people behave
like they should.
A system must be as complete, frictionless, self instructional, simple and save
as possible.
And i as developers can not expect that users read 100 pages of instruction
whit rules, what they have to do, what they can not do, and what they have to
notice.
If the system contains a friction which causes problems, 100% guarantee that
questions will come.
You can explain the people everything, and how much time you have invested to
describe everything carefully in texts. forget it!!!!
Nobody has pleasure and time to read 1000 orders from 20 different systems and
50 different people. And even when, in a week they have forgotten the most of
it and questions you explained already come again and again. One can get upset
over it and even angrily, everything was explained and written down carefully!
Senseless.
i have learned: instructions, friction, illogically, not evidently, not
intuitively, side effects == bug.
Systems are not created for developers, but for users. So i patche not only
genuine errors, but patche everything possible witch could or have cause a
problem or friction, instead to give the people instructions and files full of
text, so far it don't require large changes. That don't cost me much more time
than to write instructions, and i must answer never again a question to it.
A practical example
Others made the template (i have written only some functions for it). question
number 3 or 4 by explaining the functions of the template, "what is
playground", ....bhu, ok.... i not answer to the question, i rename it to
"testplace" and never again somebody has ask this.
(i had even the idea to create a plugin to detect and correct automatically
UTF8 problems, because of problems with files uploaded directly by FTP. Same
motivation. People all the time take the easiest way, against any instructions.)
A Developer want to hold his system simple, and save sometimes also work time
(so like all other too). But if the system contains frictions, you lose time
later by explaining and writing instructions. And the work amount multiplies,
all users of the system must read themselves through all instructions. (And
there is nothing more boring, i concede, mostly i don't do this, i work rather
directly on the solutions.)
(i most concede now too, i am not advanced enough to work here, i don't know dw
internally good enough.)
So some of the patches correct maybe not a true bug, but a friction detected by
daily work.
This is the reason for all patches i create for dw, and why i send them to you,
to let you proof what could by useful for you too.
(Now you know my motivations a little, i keep new texts now shorter. I don't
act here anymore without your advice. If i wasted your time, i apologize.)
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