Re: LZ: oops

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Re: LZ: oops

On Sun, 28 Jul 1996, David Kristensen wrote:


> True...but I've kind of already released it, so I don't want to release
> documentation to it after the fact. The reason I'm posting this to the list,
> though, is to say that if anyone puts it on a web page somewhere, contact me
> and I'll get some documentation for it.
 
 
Why not?  The proper way to release software is to include complete
documentation with it.  You released the software by putting it in
a message with corrections in other messages and documentation in
other messages.  Who can keep track of all that?


One of the big problems I've been finding with 85 software is the
lack of documentation.  I've asked a couple of people about docs
and they say theyre in messages somewhere.  What good is that?


In my opinion, if people are going to publish software they should
take the trouble to do it right.  They're not just making something
available.  They're defining the 85 for all of it's users.  There's
a certain responsibility that goes along with that.


I've never seen publishing of software that was as sloppy as it is
on the TI-85.  There's very good stuff for it, but, with a few
very major exceptions, it's scattered to the wind.


Put together a package you can take some pride in and that other
people can make real use of and you've helped the 85 to evolve.
Then you've changed and improved the world a little.  Right now
youre just confusing things.  Take a look at zshell.  It should
be setting a standard for the 85 developers.  It's good code,
well documented.   They tested it and fixed all the problems
they could find before releasing it.  They did everything they
could think of, and they thought of a lot, to make it useful
to you.  Are you gonna pay them back by releasing your program
becuase youre tired of working on it and sort of documenting
it?  That doesn't seem very fair to me.


Barry
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