Need for examples which comprehensively demonstrate all software features
 

(Apologies if this seems brief. I can't spare as much time as I think this issue really deserves.)

In a "Community Bulletin" e-mail, dated 4 April I was asked:

Do you have a suggestion on how we can improve LQ? Visit the LQ Suggestions & Feedback forum at http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...nd-feedback-7/ to let us know.

Seeing a practical example is, for me, the easiest way to understand a technical concept.

What I would like to see are examples which comprehensively demonstrate each and every feature of software. Recently, I wanted to know how to write, on a Drupal web page, PHP code which would extract and sort records from some of the Mysql tables in which the content of that Drupal web site was stored and then display the output.

There were many good examples on the Drupal site. They showed how to connect to the MySQL database, make a query and update the database, but none showed how to display the output of the query. Without being able to see the output of the SQL query in a way that humans could interpret, it is difficult for me to know if my MySQL query has worked and how to make it work.

If someone has the time, I think existing examples should be examined to see what features they demonstrate and what features they fail to demonstrate. If possible, the example should be expanded to incorporate the features not yet included or new examples, which incorporate those features, should be written and published.

By using Google I was able to find an example on another site which showed me how to print the output of an SQL query. (Sorry, I don't have the links. I will try to supply them later.)

Whilst search engines are great tools, I think we should try to structure the web so that we don't have to depend upon them as much as we now do.

If web sites like www.linuxquestions.org and drupal.org could provide examples which comprehensively make use of all the features of the software (maybe www.linuxquestions.org already does - my apologies if I have missed this), then much time and energy would be saved by users of those sites.

Perhaps this could also be made a recommended standard for software devolopers and documenters.

while I can't read his mind I think Jeremy was aiming at a completely different class of suggestions. Even without mind reading I doubt it is LQ's purpose in life to replace HOWTO's, manual and info pages or dead tree books.


I'd say feel free to start your own crusade suggesting this to all software devolopers and documenters.


//NTLB