Lost a new commercial user this week :(

[ketmar via Digitalmars-d]

On Wed, 17 Dec 2014 10:49:19 +0000
Tobias Pankrath via Digitalmars-d <digitalmars-d at puremagic.com> wrote:

> On Wednesday, 17 December 2014 at 10:33:34 UTC, ketmar via 
> Digitalmars-d wrote:
> > On Wed, 17 Dec 2014 09:48:26 +0000
> > Tobias Pankrath via Digitalmars-d <digitalmars-d at puremagic.com> 
> > wrote:
> >
> >> std.container.Array(T) if(is(Unqual!T == bool)) vs.
> >> std.container.Array(T) if(!is(Unqual!T == bool)).
> >> 
> >> That's super unhelpful for newcomers.
> > that's why newcomers should NOT try to learn the language using
> > reference documentation for standard library.
> >
> > when i started to learn D, i found and read Andrei's book, 
> > Ali's book
> > and Philippe's "template tutorial". and i never complained that 
> > phobos
> > reference documentation is "hostile to beginners" -- 'cause 
> > it's NOT
> > for beginners. you are expected to learn the language before 
> > reading
> > reference dox.
> >
> > yet i agree that formatting can be better. but as i tend to 
> > produce
> > completely unreadable mess when i trying to fix any formatting, 
> > i
> > didn't do anything in that direction.
> 
> I don't think we should require newcomers to understand the 
> is-expression (Even now I have to look it up now and then) and 
> notion of a qualified type and to look of what that Unqual(T) 
> template actually is, just to understand the documentation of an 
> simple container, something that many newcomers will use to write 
> small programs while learning the language.

that is exactly why i'm telling that reference documentation is not for
beginners at all. it has some sample code, but you are expected to
understant the language first.

what we really need is more "intermediate level" books that will teach
people how to "think functionally" and use various Phobos modules.
something like Adam's cookbook, maybe, but dedicated to Phobos, and
promoting "everything is a range" style of thinking. ;-)

reference documentation can never be such book, 'cause it will be
unusable as *reference* in that case.
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