[MEncoder-users] Mencoder finishes early on DVD to Divx encoding

[Alexander Strasser]

Hi,

  sorry for my late reply...

Guillaume POIRIER wrote:
> On 6/22/05, Nico Sabbi <nsabbi at fastwebnet.it> wrote:
> > 
> > >
> > >Rich, what we don't realize is that sending a patch to the list is not
> > >_that_ simple to Joe User: - you need to understand Nroff or XML, and
> > >know where the source is located so you may update it (not so
> > >straightforward when you only use binary packages),

  no, imho you really don't have to. That is why we have ppl like
diego and you in the doc team who understand it. See the last
paragraph.

> > >- then you need to know how to make a patch... (then you need to
> > >resend it because it's not a unified diff patch),

  this is clearly stated in our documentation, so it is not a big
problem. We just have to assume ppl can read. And if you don't send
a unified diff on the 1st run, where is the problem with resending it?
  And again, i don't even think you always have to send patches.

> > >- then you need to figure out where to send it... do you send it to
> > >Diego, whose is mail address is on the front page, do you sent it to
> > >the ML?
> > >- then you need to subscribe to the list, and send the patch (and
> > >resend a another mail because you forgot to attach the file)...

  That might happen, but that's live.

> > There are rules to do everything. Ours aren't that much restrictive.
> > If the contributor doesn't follow them he doesn't have
> > enough motivation, consequently the quality of his contribution will likely
> > be low.
> 
> Not necessarily. I think people are a lot more lazy than careless. If
> you ease up the process of contributing, chances are that they would
> be more of them, and that the errors would end-up getting fixed one
> day or the other.

  We have to keep the high quality of our docs, because we always
point users to look at them. If they grab (completely) wrong stuff
from there they will start getting angry/annoyed.

> > >At the end of this process, how many people are left?
> > >
> > >
> > >Ok now, just consider what you have to do to contribute to a wiki:
> > >- create an account
> > >- log in
> > >- start to contribute on the page you just read one minute before !
> > >
> > 
> > ... and possibily contribute unmediated bullshit. Not a great gain for the
> > docs.
> 
> How about a disclaimer to state that the wiki is not officially
> supported then? We already do that for binary versions of MPlayer.

  This would be the least thing to do, but i still don't like
the idea. Again I don't like the idea of spreading wrong information,
for example outdated information was the cause of this thread.
IMHO We have to eliminate these sources of wrong information instead
of creating new places where it can be hosted.

> > Posting docs to the ML in the form of patches has the great advantage that
> > developers who care enough will correct the parts of text that
> > they consider wrong or incomplete, as it happened countless times.
> 
> I do agree with that, but I still think that our process is not so
> simple and clear to the newcomer.

  And this is exactly the point! We do have so many of the technical
developers on the doc ml that we imho have to take advantage of it.
  So potential contributers should send their patches, experiences
and corrections there and the devels with knowledge about the topic
will correct mistakes if any (and often there are). Then the
documentaion people can add it to the documentation _at the right
place while keeping structure and consistency_.

  Alex (beastd)