Documentation Improvement Initiative

[Jan Hönig]

On Sunday, 3 May 2020 at 01:37:54 UTC, Mike Parker wrote:
> Not yet. It's going to happen at some point if we can sort out 
> enough concrete documentation tasks.

Insight from a D newcomer for easier Dlang accessibility. Not 
everything is documentation per se:

- promote wiki.dlang.org directly on D's webpage

- promote authors to copy/write/(at least link) 
articles/tutorials/cookbooks on the wiki (there are many, but 
also many are scattered threw out the web)

- copy Dlang's blog to wiki (keep the blog, but collect 
information in one place. Plus points if directly sorted what the 
blog post was: article/tutorial/cookbook)

- declare unmaintained packages as such (once a month I read the 
question, whether derelict works, and once a month Mike answers, 
that he does not maintain it anymore. And this goes on for many 
packages. In addition it is hard to a newcomer to see, whether a 
package is abandoned, or finished. Example: coming from python 
word, anything which didn't have a commit in last 2 years is 
fishy)
( I don't want to attack you Mike, it is just an example, but 
since you are the one I am answering right now, it is the example)

- decrease score of packages, which don't build on code.dlang.org

- Language and library reference have enough examples (at least 
the parts I use). Examples are simple and clear. However to a 
newcomer needs also more complex examples, like tutorials or 
cookbooks. Idea: one link, on the specific reference to a section 
with related articles/tutorials/cookbooks.

- opinionated suggestions in getting started 
https://wiki.dlang.org/Getting_Started (a newcomer is overwhelmed 
by the possibilities of compilers,editors/ides. Suggestions: dmd, 
vscodium with code-d)

- probably pack this task list somewhere on the wiki

- Encourage newcomers to edit the wiki. This is a simple task, 
often dull to do for experienced community members, but great for 
newcomers, because they are included AND they explore the wiki 
ant the community on themselves.