Re: gEDA-user: why some skip KiCAD and gEDA

[gedau@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

On Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 10:03:14AM +0530, Abhijit Kshirsagar wrote:
> On Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 04:42, Markus Hitter <mah@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Am 10.09.2011 um 13:35 schrieb Stefan Salewski:
> >
> >> A lot of documentation can be bad.
> >
> > Ha! Now that's exactly the right answer to somebody offering writing
> > documentation.
> 
> :)
> 
> I agree that too much documentation /can/ be bad - if its in a
> non-searchable, badly written form, etc. E.g. if one has to dig
> through volumes of massive stuff just to do simple tasks then it is a
> bad thing.
> 
> But having lots of searchable (over the internet) docs is much better.
> For example, I imagine a beginner will run a [google] search for "gEDA
> beginners guide" or "gSchem Tutorial" whereas an advanced user will be
> searching for say "PCB complete reference" or the keywords pertaining
> to a particular issue.



Searchable heap of random documentation is really good for those who 
already have an overview of the field and know what they want to achieve 
and what to search for.

I remember when I started with PCB and gschem (originally with 
xcircuit), many years ago, without any EE or EDA background. I think for 
beginner hobbists this is not a rare case. And there are indeed a lot of 
things to consider... The hardest thing in such situation is that you don't 
see the extents, so you need to go (or at least you feel you are going) 
randomly until you gain enough knowledge and experience to be able to 
see at least the extents and main aspects of the whole topic.

For such users, having a specific document that only enumerates 
"everything" that falls in the domain of the tools is most useful. This 
document wouldn't need to have a lot of text, but a lot of links 
and short explanation scratching only the surface of each topic. Key is 
not volume, but structure. This document would cover all the common 
workflows, all the common possibilities (i.e. for getting data from 
gschem to pcb or sims). It should also cover features or flows we don't 
have or don't support yet or at all.

Starting from such a document is better than stating with a tutorial, as 
a specific tutorial will most probably cover only a small portion of the 
whole thing, and only a single flow/tool/possibility of all. It's 
easier to choose which tutorial to start with, if one sees the possibilities.


Regards,

Tibor


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