Getting Started 3.4 full book published

I've put the full compiled Getting Started with LibreOffice 3.4 book
on the wiki (ODT and PDF) and the ODFAuthors website (ODT only at this
point). Soon to go on Alfresco along with any chapters that aren't
already there.

Please go forth and find mistakes! Especially missing or incorrect
cross-references, missing pictures, and other weirdness.

I recommend using the PDF from the wiki,
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Publications

--Jean

I'll work on the printed version soon, and also write a post for the
Docs Team's blog. Please feel free to pass the word along to Marketing
and others, if I don't get to it. Time for a break!

--Jean

Hi :slight_smile:
Jean has put the finished "Getting Started Guide" for the 3.4.x branch on the wiki-page
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Publications
The Pdf version is probably the best one to check for errors.  Please let us know of anything before she puts it up on the official LibreOffice website.

Obviously the Docs Team does screenshots using a non-default theme but one that is high-contrast (for accessibility and for clearer printing) and looks the same on the various different platforms.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

That's a typo on the wiki page. I'll fix that, or Tom can. Thanks for spotting it.

--Jean

One reason that updating the v3.3 books has been taking so long is
that we've been trying to find and fix errors and omissions that arose
from doing them so quickly at the beginning. The Getting Started and
Writer Guides are now much improved, and the Impress Guide is quickly
getting there, so I hope that keeping them up to date for new releases
can now be done more quickly.

We've been talking about two possibilities, each of them involving
*not* attempting to update everything for each release.
1) Only update chapters where significant changes are required (UI
looks very different; major new features; corrections to errors). In
most cases, most chapters need only trivial, or no, changes to keep
them current, although the writing in some of them can still be
improved.
2) Combined with 1), only attempt to release a new version of each
book once a year.

But the main problem is that, although we have many people who say
they are willing to do proofreading (copy-editing), that's not much
help unless there are enough people who (a) know how to review the
content for accuracy; (b) can use existing info (such as the list of
new features) to know what to look for and incorporate changes when
needed; and (c) have the time to do the updating and writing, to get
things to the point where copy-editing (proofreading) is useful.

I don't think the Board can do anything about that. And recruiting
more Docs Team members has mixed results: see paragraph above.

--Jean

Hi :slight_smile:
A number of unavoidable problems have sorted themselves out or been sorted out by Jean and the team. 
1.  Initially 2 branches started at the same time.  Now each new branch starts near the end of the current one's cycle so the overlap is fairly brief. 
2.  Infrastructure has been sorted out and there is a back-up system. 
3.  There is a good plan now part of which is that;
     a)  only 2 of the guides for every release;  the Getting Started and the Writer Guides
     b)  The full set of books only for odd number branches
4.  Various branding issues and potential problems with the owners of OpenOffice.org have been resolved.  Logos and trademarks are sorted. 
5.  Work-arounds for the main "vanishing images" bug have been found.  Backups of images are being collected (jic) on a suitably ad-hoc basis.

Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

Hi Jean, *,

We've been talking about two possibilities, each of them involving
*not* attempting to update everything for each release.
1) Only update chapters where significant changes are required (UI
looks very different; major new features; corrections to errors). In
most cases, most chapters need only trivial, or no, changes to keep
them current, although the writing in some of them can still be
improved.
2) Combined with 1), only attempt to release a new version of each
book once a year.

What do you think about taking the version 3.3 (or 3.4) as base document, no change of the content, and put in an own heading at the end of the chapter called "new in version 3.5". There will be a list or some descriptions of the changes. Only this piece must be written and be proofread. The front page will tell "Version 3.3 with explanations for 3.5" or so.
We can also take these headings and make an own chapter for it.
With 3.6 there is then a next heading (or chapter).

So there is no need for reviewing the existing content and we can take the available wiki pages and informations.

Only if there are important changes or we find the persons to work on the whole book, we change the content and the screenshots.

The big work will then be with 4.0.

But the main problem is that, although we have many people who say
they are willing to do proofreading (copy-editing), that's not much
help unless there are enough people who (a) know how to review the
content for accuracy; (b) can use existing info (such as the list of
new features) to know what to look for and incorporate changes when
needed; and (c) have the time to do the updating and writing, to get
things to the point where copy-editing (proofreading) is useful.

Maybe we try my proposal with the Calc Guide, make a wiki page with:
"What are the changes in Calc from 3.3 to 3.4 to 3.5", take in the structure of the Calc Guide and the informations we find in the wiki.

On a wiki page some more people can work with.

I'm ccing the document ml to get their opinions. At least we should take the whole discussion to that ml?!

Hi Jean
Are we going to see the art work discussed back in November on the cover of the GS guide?
It would look great. As a reminder, or new information for those not around at the time, the art work is at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Gallery_DocumentationFronts#International

Regards
John

Yes, as soon as I get a chance (later today I hope) I'll upload what I've got. I did a back cover design to complement one if the variations of the front cover that Drew and others created.

Jean

John,
I think I may have misinterpreted your earlier question. Did you mean
will that artwork appear as the first page of the PDF of the full
book? Yes, I certainly can do that, and will. Thanks for the reminder!

BTW, I have now put PNGs of the front and back covers (intended for
the printed book) in the Published folder along with the text files:
http://www.odfauthors.org/libreoffice/english/getting-started/published-lo3.4/

Writer Guide covers coming soon.

--Jean

I'm concerned about errors in the 3.3 documents being carried on and
never fixed. Also in some cases the changes are not "new features" but
changes in existing features, so just adding a section at the end of a
chapter for new features would not be enough.

But, whatever we want to do, someone has to do it. I collected on a
wiki page the changes I knew were needed from v3.3 to v3.4, arranged
by book and chapter, so people could more easily do the updating work.
But that doesn't seem to have made any difference for Calc and Draw:
no one has come forth to do the actual updating.

If you or others want to try an alternative to what we're doing now,
please do so.

--Jean

We could put into an appendix the info that is found on the "New
Features" website pages (for example,
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/3-5-new-features-and-fixes/), to
satisfy the more geeky members of the audience, but I don't think that
really fits into the books very well. Also, IMO it's not suitable for
the majority of the audience and therefore would not be a substitute
for updating the chapters properly.

If someone wants to do it, and thinks that's a suitable way to get a
book out for each release, sure, go ahead. No one can stop you. And
I'm not the boss here; I'm just the senior consultant (and
opinionated, I know).

Cheers, Jean