Pidgin Manual proposal - need some feedback

[Dennis 'EvilDennisR' Ristuccia]

Ananda Samaddar wrote:
> I've posted about on this topic under and old address.  New job and all
> meant that I couldn't sort this out till now.  Anyway here goes.  This
> is a rough proposal for writing a manual for Pidgin.  The main thing is
> that this manual should be usable by the non-technical.  Lots of
> screenshots and clearly written text.  Remember this is only a proposal,
> please post comments and constructive criticisms.

I have some experience doing manuals, I'd like to help you work on this
project.

> I still haven't decided what will be the best format in which to write
> the manual.  Personally I'd prefer to use LyX.  My justification for
> this is:
> 
> 1. LyX is FLOSS
> 2. The LyX document format is open and can be exported to several
> different formats.
> 3. LyX is cross platform.
> 4. Good compromise between GUI and markup based approaches.
> 5. I know how to use it!

I have no objections to using lyx, nor do I have any opinion about it;
I've never used it. You said it can be exported to HTML and PDF, and has
OO.o support, so that sounds good enough for me.

I think a better question to ask would be, does anyone have any
information as to why we /shouldn't/ use lyx?

> Licensing: GFDL?
> 
> Potential Headings:
> 
> Introduction
> Why use Pidgin?
> Installing Pidgin (Win, GNU/Linux, OSX, *BSD)
> Navigating the GUI
> Adding an account to Pidgin (show examples for MSN, AIM, Yahoo, XMPP
> etc)
> Chat Features (file transfer, Pidgin specific)
> Using Plugins (including how to configure plugins, eg OTR)

These all sound about right.. I'm sure many of the other developers
around could help produce a list of 'annoyances' that users tend to
complain/get confused about. We can cover those in addition.

> I am also proposing creating all screenshots under Windows with the
> 'Classic' theme.  This is for purposes of uniformity.

No. No windows.. *shudder* I say take screenshots under X with the
default gtk theme, and window-decorations removed.

> The above is only a rough proposal and there will be a lot of
> omissions.  This isn't a party invite but - RSVP!
> 

--
Dennis 'EvilDennisR' Ristuccia
AIM|Y!: EvilDennisR