[Python-Dev] Searching Python docs (Was: Python sidebar for Mozilla/Netscape) (original) (raw)

Guido van Rossum guido@python.org
Fri, 05 Apr 2002 19:33:44 -0500


(1) .chm format is better for the windows distro than the .html format

Speak for yourself. I prefer the HTML that I can view in a browser of my choice any time over MS's clumsy help browser.

And some afterthoughts on Tim's tagline, which in my ignorance I interpreted as indicative of a somewhat reactive attitude to the win32 distro [I'd be utterly delighted to be corrected if I'm wrong]:

You're wrong.

(1) Judging from the traffic on c.l.py, Python seems to have reached the point in a language's life cycle where it is attracting many novice users.

Tell us something we don't know.

My guess is that most of those will be using the win32 distribution. Many of them will no doubt refuse to RTFM, but for those who will, providing them with the docs in .chm format (and actively promoting it) might cut down on the "support cost" of the traffic on c.l.py.

I strongly doubt that the format we use to provide the docs makes much of a difference.

(2) In two application development shops with which I am engaged, the main application runs on a large Unix box, but the developers' and DBAs' workstations are Windows (2000) PCs -- is this atypical?

I've never seen it, but I suppose I'm atypical. :-)

I am evangelising Python to them -- while certainly not critical, better doc formats, positive attitude to win32 distro, etc etc wouldn't hurt.

Stop complaining and do something about it. If you think Tim's got an negative attitude about win32 distro, I think you need a reality adjustment.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)