Re: [boost] Re: library overview page (was Re: Boost to the rescue)

From: Rob Stewart (stewart_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-04-28 15:19:38

From: David Abrahams <dave_at_[hidden]>
> Rob Stewart <stewart_at_[hidden]> writes:
> >
> > I think you mistook my meaning.  I meant that folks would revisit
> > the page periodically to learn about libraries they didn't pay
> > attention to previously.
> 
> You obviously need a different page for that; one that's sorted by
> recent-ness.

OK.

> > I may also have misunderstood the page you envision, but it
> > sounds to me like a really long page with library after library
> > of text and example code, with one mostly just running into the
> > next.  
> 
> Yes one long page, but, I think we'd use dividers or major headings to
> separate them.
[snip]
> Those are minor details.  The main idea is to have a brief overview of
> what's available, but not so brief that you have to go look at
> individual library docs just to have a sense of how it's used.

OK.

> > Tabbed browsing makes that palatable, even useful.
> 
> I don't see how that is related.

You scan the list, Ctrl-click (or whatever) on each library that
looks interesting, as you're scanning, so each loads its teaser
page in a tab.  Finally, you visit each tab to read the teaser.

> > It works nicely until you get tired of paging past uninteresting
> > parts.
> 
> If you're paging past most of what's there, then you wanted something
> that the page wasn't designed to do in the first place.

I didn't realize the page had been designed already.  I thought
that was the point of this discussion.

> >> > Maybe an all-encompassing example that uses
> >> > most of the libraries would work.  
> >> 
> >> NooooooooooO.  Please, no!  That would introduce all kinds of
> >> interactions and complexity.  The idea is to give people an easy way
> >> to find out "what each library does."
> >
> > OK.  OK.  It was just an idea to make it possible to show synergy
> > among the libraries and to give a glimpse of what each can do.
> 
> KISS.

Who are you calling stupid! ;-)

> > As I saw it, that example would make for interesting -- even
> > compelling -- reading and would give incentive to keep reading to
> > learn about all of the libraries.  Also as I saw it, yours was a
> > longer read without cohesiveness.  Now I think you just mean to
> > provide a small example with a little explanatory text with each
> > listed library 
> 
> Yes.
> 
> > rather than the one-liner now present.
> 
> No, it's not meant to be a replacement for the existing library index.

Obviously I missed something which could have told me that the
page under discussion was a new page and what its design and
purpose were.

-- 
Rob Stewart                           stewart_at_[hidden]
Software Engineer                     http://www.sig.com
Susquehanna International Group, LLP  using std::disclaimer;