Re: [mv] Re: your mail

["Christopher P. Lindsey" <lindsey@mallorn.com>]

******    message to minivend-users from "Christopher P. Lindsey" <lindsey@mallorn.com>     ******

> How quickly we get spoiled by a few point-and-click installations of 
> various softwares!  There are plenty of free (GPL) software solutions that 
> have even WORSE or NO documentation.  I know, I'm working with one 
> now.  The concept is the same, you can try and install this for free or you 
> can pay the developer or a consultant $250/hr to do it for you.  We've 
> actually got it good, and to get free, powerful software with ANY docs is 
> maybe more than we deserve.  Some people may be quick to point out that 
> Linux is free, but to really get all the bells and whistles you might have 
> to pay.  For printed documentation you must pay.  Apache?  Free.  How many 
> people work on Apache versus MiniVend?

It wouldn't bother me so much if there were no documentation.  But 
when there's documentation with examples that no longer work...

But I agree that it's all part of our responsibility to to make sure
that minivend keeps getting better, both in terms of source and docs.
I've only been using it for two months now, but I feel comfortable enough
to set up sites fairly quickly.  I plan on releasing the full configuration
for several stores along with explanations in the hopes that real-life
examples can help others.

The thing that bothered me most when I first started using minivend
was the response to my first email message to the list.  I didn't
understand how minivend worked, so I asked for some pointers to sample
sites with config files or a general HOWTO.  Nobody responded publicly,
but I did get several personal responses from individuals who were more
than happy to share their expertise for a consulting fee.  It left me
with the impression that Mike H. is the only person doing development,
and the rest of the world is just riding on his coattails.  If better
documentation is available, they'll lose out on consulting $$$.  So why
help write better docs?  It seemed that minivend was doomed to progress
as the work of one man.

Hopefully 4.0 will change all that, and hopefully more people will start
offering back to the minivend community what they've taken.  I know many
of you have already...

Chris
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