[maemo-developers] Maemo Info Center library service released with first set

[From: Jarmo.Tikka at nokia.com]

Hi,

> Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:44:49 +0100
> From: Andrew Flegg <andrew at bleb.org>
> Subject: Re: Maemo Info Center library service released with first set
> To: maemo-developers <maemo-developers at maemo.org>
> Cc: Maemo Community <maemo-community at maemo.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> [I've changed this to go to maemo-developers, where I think it is more
> appropriate to be discussed, follow-ups there please]
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> On Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 14:09,  <Jarmo.Tikka at nokia.com> wrote:
> >From: Andrew Flegg <andrew at bleb.org>
> >>
> >> One thing I'd like to see is a *definitive* Maemo reference library.
> >> Currently, we have docs spread over Forum Nokia, Info Center, the
> >> maemo.org wiki - and then there's the docs that are *duplicated*
> (with
> >> slightly different versions) between the various places.
> >
> > This new Maemo Info Center library is planned to be THE place to look
> for
> > official Maemo documentation (and Maemo.org wiki will continue to be
> > THE place to look for unofficial docs :).
> 
> Yeah, and this is the problem. See below...
> 
> > I do nto think we have much documentation in Forum Nokia exception
> > being some training slideware and Hildon 2.2. UI guides. I have now
> > converted all those 4 Hildon 2.2. UI guides into laTex and I will
> > publish them shortly in Maemo Info Centeras official documents
> > (they will also be available as PDF/HTML downloadables as all
> > other Latex docs).
> 
> Cool, thanks.
> 
> > I was planning to update and release pyMameo documentation in Info Center
> > but it was decided last summer (2009) by our product management that we
> > do not release Python (pyMaemo) documentation as official documentation.
> > So I cannot add Python documents (and I have not even verified do we
> > have updated pyMaemo docs for Fremantle available).
> 
> This continued separation between "official" and "unofficial" (and
> "open"/"closed") doesn't help developers AT ALL.


We need to separate official functionality and documentation from unofficial (community supported) as we at Nokia cannot quarantine support and continuality for all community contributions (even when they are VERY welcome and important for the devices and platform).

If we document some functionality in our official documentation it means we plan to support it and fix it if there are problems. If community develops or documents some new features or functionality we cannot quarantine at Nokia that it a) works b) we fix it c) we support it in future.

This means that community members need to provide those issues for their own contributions and this is why we somehow need to separate these issues. This has somewhat to do also with official Nokia support channel, device/sw warranty etc contract/legal issues I do not want dig into in details...

> Why does a developer need to know, or care, whether the framework they
> are using is "officially" sanctioned by Nokia, or whether - like
> PyMaemo - it's come from a third-party (though one whose bills are
> paid for by Nokia)?!

As I said I wanted to publish pyMaemo documentation (both API docs and tutorial) and I already had a draft tutorial done with pyMaemo project at Brazil but then our product management and Nokia Python team decided that we do not publish pyMameo documentation as official docs. I considered pyMameo as official as I have been working with it about 4-5 years now :).

I anyhow implemented full support for Python development to the Eclispe IDE ESbox and PluThon and even documented it to the Eclipse tutorial. Decision was that only pyMameo documentation will not be released.

If you need to know more about this I propose you contact our product mangers directly as I do not know more.
 
> I want to have a single place that I can refer to broad, deep, Maemo
> developer documentation. It seems that the Info Center is NOT it,
> solely due to the decisions of your product management. So, for me,
> it'd be better if someone in the community mirrored its content and
> combined it with the documentation for all the other parts of the real
> world Maemo development ecosystem.

If you are able to setup some better place for maemo documentation for developers you are free to do that. I already provide everything that is needed to reproduce all documentation I have in Info Center.

> 
> If you're able, I would strongly encourage you to try and persuade
> your product management into changing their mind on this.
> Alternatively, if you'd like me - as a representative of the Maemo
> community - to talk to them directly, let me know who to chat to.

You can believe that I had long discussions (couple of months :) about this as I did not see any point in it but basically I was told to do what I was told to do.

> 
> Thanks in advance,

No problem,

Cheers,
//Jarmo

> 
> Andrew
>