Re: Re: ePod - write easy and simple in easy-POD, convert to POD, and from there you know the way.

Well, this was instroduced to fix this problem: "How to enable non-programmer peoples, non geeks, to write docs easy and fast, and have this docs in a structured and indexed database".

Well, the near solution was POD, but don't forget that they are non-programmers, soo they won't take care to write right a syntax, they will just write! Soo, how to let them to write and be able to fix their errors? And making this fixer borns ePod.

As I said, I have tested this with docstor, that don't know and don't want to know about syntax, nad don't have time. And the result was perfect. They don't know how they just write fast a doc, that can be written even in their Palm, and have nice well formated documents in the site, including full indexed search. The best thing is that no one needed a course about "how to write the docs", they just write and post to the site.

I know that this can be very simple and POD is simple, but have a try! Any way, it's here for any one.

Graciliano M. P.
"Creativity is the expression of the liberty".

Comment on Re: Re: ePod - write easy and simple in easy-POD, convert to POD, and from there you know the way.

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Re: Re: Re: ePod - write easy and simple in easy-POD, convert to POD, and from there you know the way. by Anonymous Monk on Jan 14, 2004 at 23:27 UTC
As I said, I have tested this with docstor, that don't know and don't want to know about syntax, nad don't have time. And the result was perfect ... The best thing is that no one needed a course about "how to write the docs", they just write and post to the site. I don't buy it - Instead of allowing the use of descriptive formatting delimiters such as `=head` and `=item`, you replace them with shorthand symbols. The use of shorthand cryptic symbols does nothing to make POD more usable to non-programmers - If anything, this makes it less accessible to non-programmers as there needs to be an association made, which may not always be obvious, between the symbol and it's context and meaning. If you really wanted to create a tool for non-programmers to create POD, why not create a word processor which allows for a WYSIWYG interface whilst outputting validate POD. Instead, all that you have done is create a cryptic shorthand to replace formatting directives which are already self-explanatory and straightforward. A better name for this module might be POD::Shorthand or POD::Cryptic, but certainly not anything which suggests that this format is "easy" compared to POD.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: Re: Re: Re: ePod - write easy and simple in easy-POD, convert to POD, and from there you know the way. by gmpassos (Priest) on Jan 15, 2004 at 01:19 UTC
Yes, is also a shorthand version. And why it can't be? And I tried first to introduce POD, and doesn't work! Soo, ePod comes. Well, if you take a try you will see that ePod is not only => and >, it will also let you write the POD without care about spaces, lines and use of =over and =back for itens. For us, that write programs every day, this is silly, but try to think to some one that have only a notepad and just want to write, not code, specially write without care about rules! If you really wanted to create a tool for non-programmers to create POD, why not create a word processor which allows for a WYSIWYG interface...* Well, this is a hard job to make and maintain, since I need to make one for Palm, Windows and Linux. Also if I create a new software I need to teach them how to use it, WYSIWYG interface or not, since the last thing that they want is a new software. Soo, ePod, as POD, can be wrote in anything: notepad, pico, Word, etc... Note that ePod is not a replacement of POD! Is just a simpler way to write docs. Graciliano M. P. "Creativity is the expression of the liberty".	[reply]