dtutor.org: a call to action

[Tyro[17]]

On 5/5/13 6:06 PM, Nathan M. Swan wrote:
> On Sunday, 5 May 2013 at 19:37:02 UTC, Tyro[17] wrote:
>> The main contributors of D are doing a wonderful job of enhancing the
>> language. I can confidently say that we are leagues ahead of where we
>> stood a just two years ago. But there has been a long cry for
>> documentation that has gone unanswered: not because they refuse to
>> cooperate but rather, because they are a small volunteer force, occupied
>> by real demands to address the quirks of the language, and lack the time
>> to all issues by themselves.
>
> Don't we all :(
>
>>
>> It stands then that the community can make a conscious effort to address
>> some of the outstanding issues. As such, I have chosen to champion the
>> tutorial/documentation effort. Though, I possess very little programming
>> experience but am willing to try and am hereby soliciting your
>> assistance in making this a reality.
>
> Good luck!

Thanks.

>>
>> dtutor.org is an active domain dedicated to providing tutorials for the
>> language. I will require content contributors but before we can begin to
>> provide content there are a couple of issues to address:
>>
>> I. Features to be supported
>>
>>     Interactive Tutorials - Users must be able to modify and execute
>> examples in place to observe side effects.
>
> You have DPaste to work with here (http://dpaste.dzfl.pl/), IIRC it is
> connected to sample code at dlang.org.

Indeed we do. My initial sentiments was that this should be done with 
DPaste but I'm now inclined to believe that Runestone is more suited for 
the job. Of course it will require some effort to port it to D.

>>
>>     Interactive Books - A number of free books exist around the internet
>> that can be ported to D. The first two that come to mind are How to
>> "Think Like a Computer Scientist", "Problem Solving with Algorithms and
>> Data Structures Using Python" and Ali Çehreli's very own "Programming
>> in D".
>
> Videos are useful as well.

Should be part of the tutorial/book where applicable.

>>     Online Judge - to be used to determine accuracy and efficiency of
>> submitted solutions to problems and planned programming contests.
>
> I've had good experiences learning via stuff like that.

Though not much, the little experience I with them was comparatively 
positive.

>>
>>     Forum - Unlocked to individual users per problem after solution
>> accepted by Online Judge.
>
> Rejected Software (creators of vibe) has vibenews, which I believe is
> quite customizable.

Thanks, wasn't aware of that.

>>
>> II. Look and Feel
>>
>> Look and feel of the site will be largely influenced by two things: The
>> DConf website and this little gem which provides encouragement for the
>> ideas behind interactive tutorials/books:
>>
>>     Runestone (https://github.com/bnmnetp/runestone);
>>
>> I came across it while searching for ideas on how to get started with
>> dtutor.org and must admit: it is a fascinating little project.
>>
>
> It is!
>
> I have to vouch for cplusplus.com, which isn't interactive, but I was
> able to teach myself C++ with only that and "C++ for Dummies," so it
> worked for one guy.

Hope to provide a much better experience for the D community. Not to 
dismiss cplusplus.com (the have done a good job) but the hope is to help 
elevate D to its rightful place in the programming community at large. 
Thus, the aim to raise the bar that much higher.

>> Logo: My idea for the logo is simply this (see attachment):
>>
>>     D!(tutor).org
>
> If your target audience is people who know little about D, this would
> just look odd.

Until they reach enlightenment... Then it all make sense!!! But you 
point is noted.

>> Calling all website designers, database developers, authors and D
>> enthusiast. Lend a hand in eliminating this problem.
>
> Like everyone, my time is limited, but I can help a bit. Sign me up!

Every little bit counts. Thanks.

>>
>> Andrew
>
> NMS