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Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:43:46 -0500
From: Mitya Sirenef <msirenef@lightbird.net>
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Subject: Re: Do you feel bad because of the Python docs?
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On 02/27/2013 08:22 AM, Antoine Pitrou wrote:
> Mitya Sirenef <msirenef  <at> lightbird.net> writes:
 >> I think the issue with python documentation is that it ignores the 95/5
 >> rule: 95% of people who land on a module's page are only looking for 5%
 >> of its information.
 >
 > The 95/5 rule is generally a fallacy which ignores that the 5% which the
 > readers are expecting to learn about is not the same 5% from reader 
to reader.
 > (*)
 >
 > Which means that in the end you would really want a diversity of HOWTOs
 > targeted at different usages of the stdlib. But it is a lot of work to
 > write *and* maintain.
 >
 > (*) cf. http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/12/09.html
 >
 > Regards
 >
 > Antoine.
 >
 >

It would be absurd on my part to claim that they're precisely the same
5%. But then again, they don't have to be. Consider that some topics are
covered in the official tutorial while others are omitted -- the authors
of the tutorial were following the same rough 95/5 concept and the idea
that some readers will find stuff they don't need in the tutorial while
at the same time not finding some of what they DO need -- did not stop
them from writing the tutorial, nor does it mean the tutorial is not
useful. -m



-- 
Lark's Tongue Guide to Python: http://lightbird.net/larks/