Re: [PHP-DOC] Re: [PHP-DEV] "waldschrotts guide to nifty references" - manualpagedraft, version 0.9b From: Stanislav Malyshev (stas <email protected>)
Date: 08/19/00

HH(>> Perl is a very bad example because i do not have any of
HH(>> the Camel, Dromedar ... books
HH(>> but i know them from work and they are a complete mess

Good nobody from Perl group reads this... :)

HH(>> IMHO where searching somethings really is a pain
HH(>> (even getting all the books into one place if you search
HH(>> for something you don't remember which book it was in
HH(>> can become an interesting task if the office is big
HH(>> enough ;)

Camel book had all the reference I ever needed (except for the regexps -
that's an owl book).

HH(>> if we have different <book>s or one big <book> with
HH(>> different <part>s as long as as much core information is
HH(>> available in a structured way in _one_ place as possible

For me, it does. I believe the way of thinking means a lot (call me
strange). If you think PHP Users Guide and PHP Manual is one book, you are
tempted to put entire chapter on how to write web counter somewhere into
"imagegif" chapter. I know I'm exaggerating, but the point is that logical
division is important, not the gory details.

HH(>> (a lack of structure in the function reference itself
HH(>> is another story that will hopefully continue soon)

Well, for me it has structure (though chapter order in functions could use
some ordering too :)

HH(>> there is still enough room for additional howtos, articles,
HH(>> books and things but this shouldn't stop anyone from adding
HH(>> stuff and even additional <parts> to the core manual itself
HH(>> if he wants to

Definitely yes. But they should be separated from "PHP reference
manual". I mean logically separated. It can be done with build process,
with DSSL, with XML or with whatever means one wants, but there should be
standard (not "if you want functions, write some DSSL and get them") way
to do this logical separation. 

-- 
Stanislav Malyshev   stas <email protected>          
+972-3-6139665 ext.106