[vox] [fwd] GSoC / FM Doc Summit Projects Announced [Oct 17-21, Google HQ, Mtn View]

[Bill Kendrick]

----- Forwarded message from pr at lists.flossmanuals.net -----

Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:57:10 +0200
From: pr at lists.flossmanuals.net
Subject: [FM NEWS] GSoC / FM Doc Summit Projects Announced
To: pr-floss <pr at flossmanuals.net>
Reply-To: adam at flossmanuals.net

Please help spread this around:
------------------------------

GSoC / FM Doc Summit
Oct 17-21, Google HQ

Four projects have been chosen for the Google Summer of Code / FLOSS 
Manuals Documentation Summit:
OpenMRS, KDE, Sahana, and OpenStreetMap

For 5 days in October the Google Summer of Code Doc Summit, organized 
together with FLOSS Manuals, will bring together four documentation 
teams from open source projects, guest speakers, and free documentation 
'free agents' to discuss everything and anything concerning the free 
documentation of free software. The event will feature a two day 
unconference facilitated by Allen Gunn) and a three day Book Sprint 
(facilitated by Adam Hyde). During the Book Sprint each project will 
produce a Book ready for distribution in print and electronic book formats.

The event is an ambitious project. Not only are unconferences about free 
software documentation scarce, never before has a Book Sprint been 
attempted with four projects working simultaneously on their own book. 
It?s going to be an extremely interesting and challenging event.

Free software documentation has often been a very low priority for free 
software projects. Often the documentation suffers from common flaws 
including:

* no documentation existing at all
* assumptions about the user's knowledge are set too high
* poor navigation
* unexplained jargon
* there is no visual component
* the documentation is proprietary or 'closed'
* the format is unreadable
* no translation workflow
* operational steps are missing, unexplained, written 'from memory'
      or state how the software 'should' operate
* the documentation is out of date, not easily re-usable or not
      easily modifiable.

The Google Summer of Code Doc Summit will attempt to discuss and address 
these problematic issues and look towards positive models for 
documentation production. We hope to shine light on the importance of 
the free software documentation 'sector' in the ecology of Free 
software. Free (libre) documentation is not simply an aid for learning 
how to use free software, it is a road into education and adoption in 
industry, a tool for demonstrating to clients how free software will 
meet their needs and expectations, and an important promotional tool for 
the advancement of free software. A healthy free documentation sector is 
both socially and economically empowering. We believe Free Documentation 
of Free Software efforts and ideals should be valued on the same level 
as free software itself and that is exactly what we plan to do at this 
Summit.

The Google Summer of Code Doc Summit is more than a think tank and an 
opportunity to discuss real world issues. Four projects, OpenMRS, KDE, 
Sahana, and OpenStreetMap, will have a chance to directly strengthen 
their documentation efforts. We look forward to working together with 
each of the selected teams and individuals to help them produce their 
own book by the end of the five day summit.

It?s going to be a great event.
http://google-opensource.blogspot.com/2011/09/sprinting-for-open-source.html



--
Adam Hyde
Founder, FLOSS Manuals
mobile :+ 49 177 4935122
identi.ca : @eset
booki.flossmanuals.net : @adam

http://www.flossmanuals.net

----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
-bill!
Sent from my computer