From: Jari Aalto <jari.aalto@cante.net>
Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2010 05:35:45 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH] git-commit.txt: Order options alphabetically
Message-ID: <871v60u47i.fsf@picasso.cante.net>
In-Reply-To: <4BA22C80-9F0C-4F5F-8DBF-3E49D3D9C36A@sb.org>

2010-12-02 01:40 Kevin Ballard <kevin@sb.org>:
> On Dec 1, 2010, at 3:05 PM, Jari Aalto wrote:
>> That little word "primarily." You don't find anyone who learnt from
>> manual page first is person is on his 20's. Google is full of Git
>> videos. Guess which won the sexiest contest.
>
> How about me? I'm 25, I've been using git for a couple of years, and
> the manpages have always been my primary documentation.

And your background before that (those 5 years?). Can you say that
you're an average, to fit a imagned genralized 20's audience? I'm sure
you have heard how hard it is nowadays to teach programming or Software
Engineering in Universities.

> The videos are great at convincing people to use git. But people
> always turn to the manpages in order to learn the details.

"Details". You said it. They are consulted.

Not to learn as a primary method per se. The manual pages are too
technical; not really their fault, they are supposed to be. As "manuals"
are.

The progression goes:

    - Google, more Google, and yet more Google (or the next line swapped)
    - Videos, and Google blogs
    - Co-worker, Co-student, Co-<whatever>
    - Git Book, The Pro Book etc. (when there is time, free of other duties).
    - And more Google.
    ... man pages at the bottom after you have used Git for some time.

To add perspective: there is no manual pages in Windows. What you have
is a browser that is one click away from information.

Jari