Re: [boost] [web site] Marketing - another try

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-07-07 10:37:25

Here are my editorial comments:

> The Boost web site provides free peer-reviewed portable C++ source
> libraries.

  "Boost provides free peer-reviewed portable C++ source libraries."

> The emphasis is on 

  "We emphasize"

> libraries which work well with the C++ Standard
            ^^^^^
  "that"

> Library. The libraries are intended to be widely useful, and usable
           ^^^
           "Boost"

> by thousands of programmers across a broad spectrum of
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^
     scratch that.  You might also scratch "by programmers;" it adds
     nothing but awkwardness.

> applications. The Boost license encourages both commercial and
> non-commercial use.
> 
> A further goal is to 

I was taught that you can't have "a further goal" without "a goal."
Maybe

        "We aim to"

> establish "existing practice" and provide
> reference implementations so that Boost libraries are suitable for
> eventual standardization. Ten Boost libraries are already included
> in the C++ Standards Committee's Library Technical Report (TR1) as a
> step toward becoming part of a future C++ Standard. More Boost
> libraries will part of the upcoming TR2.
> 
> Getting started. You can download, build, and install the latest
                 ^
                 shouldn't that be a colon?

> Boost release from SourceForge. 
> Popular Linux and Unix distributions
> such as Fedora, Debian, and NetBSD also include pre-built Boost
> packages. Or Boost may already be available on your organization's
> internal web server.

You don't build and install the Boost release from Sourceforge, you
only download it.  I was taught that you can't start a sentence with
"Or."  Anyway, nothing after the first sentence tells me how to get started.

So,

        <strong>Getting Started:</strong> Follow the <a
        href="more/getting_started.html">Getting Started Guide</a> to
        download and install Boost, or to begin using a pre-installed
        Boost release that may already be on your system.

> The background information page has introductory material that may
> be of interest to managers wondering if their organization should
> use Boost.

I don't know what to say about that one.  I don't like the tone much;
it seems to apologize for itself, and does little for marketing, which
was your original intention.  I agree with Rob Stewart when he says
that

  Much of the background.html information should be on the home
  page {and much of the index.htm information should be on a
  different page}.  My point is that the home page should sell Boost
  to visitors.  They don't need all of the background.html
  information at once, but you have to hook them.

Though I'm less sure about the part in braces.  Also, I wonder if some
of the information in the "background" page doesn't belong on our FAQ?

> Boost Background Information
> Why should an organization use Boost?
> 
> In one word, Productivity. Use of high-quality libraries like Boost
     ^^^
     "a"
> speeds initial development, is likely to result in less program
> bugs, eliminates reinvention-of-the-wheel, and cuts long-term
> maintenance costs.
> 
> That's why ten of the Boost libraries are included in the C++
> Standard Library's TR1.

You really think that "productivity" is the reason ten Boost libraries
were included in TR1?  I don't.  Strictly speaking I don't think
"productivity" _can_ be a reason for anything. 

> Indirectly, most organization are probably already Boost users via
> programs which internally use Boost, like Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.

What does this have to do with "Why should an organization use Boost?"

> Who else is using Boost?
> 
> See the Who's Using Boost page for a sampling. We don't know the
> exact numbers, but a release gets around 100,000 downloads from
> SourceForge, and that is only one of several distribution routes.
>
> What do others say about Boost?
> 
> Bjarne Stroustrup, in Abstraction, libraries, and efficiency in C++,
> says: "The obvious solution for most programmers is to use a library
> that provides an elegant and efficient platform... ...Boost...

That doesn't work, as pointed out by others.

> Scott Meyers, in Effective C++, 3rd Ed., says "Item 55: Familiarize yourself with Boost."
> 
> Herb Sutter and Andrei Alexandrescu, in C++ Coding Standards, say
> "...one of the most highly regarded and expertly designed C++
> library projects in the world."

I think you should use standard epigraph format for quotes:

     Familiarize yourself with Boost.

              -- Scott Meyers, Effective C++ 3rd Ed., Item 55

     one of the most highly regarded and expertly designed C++ library
     projects in the world.

              -- Herb Sutter and Andrei Alexandrescu, in C++ Coding
                 Standards

> How do users get support?
> 
> For relatively straight-forward support needs, users rely on the
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
                 straightforward
> mailing lists and newsgroups. 

I would just say "the Boost mailing lists," and drop "newsgroups."
They are just mirrors of the mailing lists.

> One of the advantages of Boost is the responsiveness of both other
> users and Boost developers.

I think you can strike "both."

> For more involved needs, Commercial Support is also available.
> What about license issues?
> 
> Boost has its own license, developed with help from the Harvard Law
> School.  The Boost license polices encourage both commercial and
> non-commercial use, and the Boost license is not related to the GPL
> or other licenses which are sometimes seen as business unfriendly.
                    ^^^^^                               ^
                    "that"              I think you need a hyphen
>
> What about other intellectual property issues?
> 
> The Boost libraries tend to be new, fresh, and creative
> designs. They are not copies, clones, or derivations of proprietary
> libraries. Boost has a firm policy to respect the IP rights of
> others. The development of Boost libraries is publicly documented
> via the mailing lists and version control repository. The source
> code has been inspected by many, many knowledgeable
> programmers. Each Boost file has a copyright notice and license
> information. IP issues have been reviewed by the legal teams from
> some of the corporations which use Boost, and in some cases these
> lawyers have been kind enough to give Boost feedback on IP
> issues. No guarantees, but those factors all tend to reduce IP risk.

You need a subject and verb.  Maybe

         "We offer no guarantees"

or
        "There are no guarantees"

> Why would anyone give away valuable software for free?
> 
> Businesses and other organizations contribute everything from tiny
> patches up to complete libraries, when doing so is cheaper and/or
          ^^
          strike that
> higher quality than commercial software. 

"doing so" can't be "higher quality than commercial software."
That needs to be rephrased.

> This is particularly true for software they have a need for, 

"This and "they" don't have clear antecedents.  "have a need for"
would be better replaced by "need."

> but don't consider proprietary because it is of a general or utility
> nature.

What I like to say is that "organizations often prefer to have code
developed, maintained, and improved in the open source community when
it does not contain technology specific to their application domain,
because it allows them to focus more development resources on their
core business."

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com