Re: [gentoo-doc] Proposal: remove 'last updated' date from rendered page

[wireless]

Jan Kundrát wrote:
> Camille Huot wrote:
>> As a workaround, I would suggest to bump the date when an old document
>> has been checked, tested and certified with current material.

> If I were yoswink, I'd kill you for such a change.


Well this all depends on your viewpoint. If you want a set of
documents, that folks with deep gentoo experience can use,
then stay the coarse. If you (we being the larger gentoo community
including noobs, novices and nerds) then the last date of
checking or updating is fundamentally important. We all know the
internet is full of outdated and erroneous information.

I find Camile's points very consistent with what the average  user or
noob will need. I would also 'simplify' the process, (see touch below) 
So ask yourself who do the documents need
to be focused on, the gentoo elite, or the average gentoo
hack....?


It should not be that hard (internally) to track the last date
the file was  touched using 'touch' or whatever mechanism floats
your boat, to provide the average user some comfort as to the
usability, related to the age of the last check for accuracy the
doc has undergone. If we use the last date the doc was 'touch-ed' be 
one of the gentoo elite, then the mechanism is simple. Surely this 
sort of mechanism would be heralded
as a gentoo point of excellence among a sea of mediocre distros.

I would suggest keeping the mechanism for updating the date, simple
as in the use of 'touch' or such simple means. If you make it
elaborate and complex, then it will be a nightmare. Not changing
the date, except for a blue moon occurrence, instills doubt
and those confused do not posses the skills of accurate document
differentiation. If they did, they  would not need the document
to resolve their ignorance of the particular issue which they
seek help, guidance or just a cookbook set of command examples.


On another note, I think what is needed is something simple and bold
at the top of the official gentoo docs that clearly let folks know 
that the doc is an official gentoo maintained doc. If you google for
help you get all sorts of gentoo-ish looking docs and the average
user may not know how to distinguish the official (maintained docs)
from the rest.  My thoughts here are some sort of 'gentoo-certified'
symbol that is hyperlinked to a page that delineates (clearly 
explains) the nature of the officially maintained docs. Maybe the
symbol could be Dali-ish artistic GC for Gentoo Certified.


just random thoughts, nothing that should incite folks to anger
(hopefully)


James