error in LO user's guide

Hello

Getting Started Guide
Chapter 7  
Getting Started with Draw
Page 6
Sidebar
"The Sidebar has four main sections in Draw."
The sidebar contains five tabs. New tab - shapes.

Sincerely, Alexander.

Not an error. The the published edition of the Getting Stated Guide
covers LO version 6.0 where the Draw sidebar had only 4 tabs. The the
Shapes tab was introduced as part of a later release. See comparison below.

Regards
Dave

Hello,

I have
Version: 6.0.7.3
ID: 1:6.0.7-0ubuntu0.18.04.5
and I have five tabs.

Olex.

Hi Olex,

I have
Version: 6.0.7.3
ID: 1:6.0.7-0ubuntu0.18.04.5
and I have five tabs.

This is a special build for Ubuntu, not the build from LO.
I have had a look:
Version: 6.0.5.2
Build-ID: 54c8cbb85f300ac59db32fe8a675ff7683cd5a16
has 4 tabs in OpenSuSE 15
Version: 6.1.1.2
Build-ID: 5d19a1bfa650b796764388cd8b33a5af1f5baa1b
has 5 tabs in OpenSuSE 15

Regards

Robert

On macOS, LO 6.0.7, if "Enable experimental features" is selected in
the Preferences (LibreOffice > Advanced), then the Shapes tab is
visible in the Sidebar. If that item is not selected, the Shapes tab
is not visible. We generally write about the Sidebar without
experimental features, although sometimes those are mentioned but
identified as experimental. (I like to do that with Writer, because I
think it's useful to know those features are there and under what
circumstances a user will see them.)

--Jean

I agree that this one is not an error as it is a different version and a
different release, but it does bring up a good point. What is the timing
for the release of the updates/changes in the "Getting Started Guide" with
the release of any/all version changes such as the tabs?

Regards,
Carlisle

1.404.584.8180 office
https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeMonk/
www.linkedin.com/in/vandyjuggler

Hi Carlisle,

Yes it is a good point and one that has been raised many times before.

We would all love to have fixed release dates for all of the 6 core
guides we attempt to produce, but this is unlikely to be possible any
time in the foreseeable future.

The facts are:

  * You cannot dictate deadlines to volunteer contributors donating
    their valuable spare time to work on the guides.
  * At any one time there are, by my estimation, fewer than 4 people
    involved in the documentation effort actively working on part of any
    guide.
  * In addition to the guides the tiny group good folks who make up the
    Documentation "/Team/" are also responsible for the software's
    in-built/on-line help files, the documentation wiki, the on-line
    FAQ's, How-To's and Tutorials.
  * As with all things in FOSS projects there is big demand and very
    limited resources (contributors) to meet that demand and as yet
    nobody has come up with a viable solution.

The GS guide for LO version 6 published in September 2018 was updated
from the GS guide for LO version 5.2 itself published in February 2017.
A target of 12 to 18 months for a updated release of the GS guide might
be considered achievable if we had at least double the number of active
contributors we currently have working exclusively on that guide.

While the GS guide is important, it is a long way short of the most
demanded/downloaded Calc Guide which we are currently concentrating our
limited resources upon.  The the last published and currently available
Calc Guide was for LO version 4.1 published in December 2013.

At first glance updating might appear to be a simple task, but until
someone has "/rolled up their sleeves/" and "/done the grunt work/" of
revising just one chapter they cannot fully appreciate the effort
required to produce a near accurate result.

Beat Regards

Dave

Hi Alexander,

You and your colleagues, are 100% correct.

For many years the Documentation Team policy has been and still is to
base the guides on the TDF release of the software, with the
Experimental Features in the default installation setting of disabled.

Best Regards
Dave

Dear, Dave.

Colleagues suggested the reason, the fifth tab of the Figures in version 6.0 appears if you enable the experimental features in:
Tools > Options > Advanced > Enable experimental features

Sincerely, Alexander.

Thanks all! This point is an interesting one to comment on at this time. I
have been doing TECH DOC for five years in a global environment. How many
updates and releases is the team doing on an annual basis? I understand the
point of experimental features being kind of the BETA release features and
that we are all volunteer contributors. Would it create any more
clarity/precision/accuracy to release/edit versions at the exact same time?

1.404.584.8180 office
www.linkedin.com/in/vandyjuggler

Hi Caroline

Historically, LibreOffice had 2 major releases per year and will
continue as is. That puts a pressure on our documentation team to update
the guides as quickly as possible about the new features and/or removal
of features.

Ideally all 6 guides should be reviewd and updated each six month.
However this udpate depends on 2 coincident events: Authors availability
at the right time to write on the new features plus ability to assemble
the book (not to be minimized).

Individually each new release brings few changes to the books, but if we
get late in the task (as is currently the situation on most guides
unfortunately), the updates stack up and becomes hard to catch the timing.

On the other hand, we are never short of interesting work to do....

regards
Olivier