When about can we expect the promised documentation?

Since I did not obtain an answer to this question when I raised it, I decided to start a new thread to press on with it. I find it particularly needed in light of this recent advertisement to clarify when Logos 6 users can expect to have the promised missing documentation available. I would think that Faithlife would not want its users to be left with an aftertaste of having purchased something they should not have needed. If users think they need this, it should be because of added not substitutionary value.

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Matthew C Jones

I did not obtain an answer to this question when I raised it,

Sean Boisen-"we've already started planning for this documentation" I don't know how long the planning stage takes but when that is done the development stage starts. After the development stage is done it gets released. Hopefully it goes through a quality assurance check.

Eli Evans (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/690890#Comment_690890

Hi, Francis. We stopped responding to that thread because the discussion moved to another thread, and (more importantly) because we started work on several of the issues raised. I'm sorry if that seems like unresponsiveness.

I think "promised" is overstating the situation. The "this documentation" that Sean was talking about is specifically write-ups on content, methodology, and scope of coverage for Logos datasets and release notes for dataset databases when they are updated, and he was careful to say only that planning had begun, which it has. We don't know how long that will take, but then again we don't usually discuss release schedules in the forums anyway -- and when we do, nobody is happy. [:)] FWIW, the task itself may take some time, since we're not doing a quick fix but transforming our production workflows to include documentation as a matter of course. Changes to the data creation tools, compiler(s), and client program(s) may or may not be necessary, on a case-by-case basis.

To be transparent: We discussed this and other issues at a meeting on Friday and Sean has since put together a team to evaluate what needs to be written and how best to deliver it for each of the seventy-five or so datasets we maintain. Most of the planning and development process is going to be similarly boring, and I hope you understand if we spare you the gory details. [:)] When there is something interesting to report, I'm sure we'll be excited to post it.

In the meantime, we've encouraged every developer to read those threads, but please don't expect that we'll be able to respond to every question in every post directly. To maintain access to developers in the forums, we have to find the balance between responding with words and responding with code. [8-|]

I hope that makes sense!

Francis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/690922#Comment_690922

I think "promised" is overstating the situation.

[li]

he was careful to say only that planning had begun, which it has

[8o|]

we're not doing a quick fix but transforming our production workflows to include documentation as a matter of course

[Y]

find the balance between responding with words and responding with code

[Y]

I consider the $20 Christmas credit a reimbursement in advance for having to buy documentation to operate the product I already bought.

Lee

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/690926#Comment_690926

Thomas Watson, founder of IBM, built one of the most successful companies in history because he never allowed the organization to replace people as his number-one focus. During one meeting in the early days of IBM, a number of managers were reviewing customer problems with Watson. On the table were eight or ten piles of papers identifying the sources of problems: manufacturing problems, engineering problems, and the like. After much discussion, Watson, a big man, walked slowly to the front of the room and, with a flash of his hand, swept the table clean and sent papers flying all over the room. He said, "There aren’t any categories of problems here. There’s just one problem: Some of us aren’t paying enough attention to our customers." He turned crisply on his heel and walked out, leaving twenty fellows wondering whether or not they still had jobs.

-- Peters and Waterman, In Search of Excellence, 159. Referred to in Hans Finzel, The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make (available on Vyrso).

JAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/690922#Comment_690922

I think "promised" is overstating the situation. ...the task itself may take some time, since we're not doing a quick fix but transforming our production workflows to include documentation as a matter of course.

This is promising (pun intended). I can hope that future releases will not ship, or be called stable releases, without accompanying documentation.

Eli Evans (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/690950#Comment_690950

I can hope that future releases will not ship, or be called stable releases, without accompanying documentation.

To be clear, I'm (still) only talking about datasets and not the program as a whole, and even then, it may take a few release cycles before we have a smooth documentation and release notes system for datasets.

On the larger issue of documentation for the program as a whole, I'm not ready to comment yet. See here: https://community.logos.com/forums/p/99549/689048.aspx#689048

Francis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/690973#Comment_690973

it may take a few release cycles

What do you mean by release cycles? Are you referring to new versions (like Logos 7) or incremental updates, like 6.2?

Eli Evans (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/690983#Comment_690983

Good question. Incremental, not major, BUT: Technically speaking, datasets are updated as resources, meaning on a different (and somewhat less predictable) release schedule than the software engine itself. So that's all just to say: Don't be surprised if you see that we have updated some datasets some number* of times (with or without accompanying incremental software engine updates) before we have the dataset release notes process fully operational.

In any event, I wasn't saying it will take until Logos 7 or beyond to get dataset documentation and release notes. If it looks like it's going to take anywhere near that long, then I wouldn't be surprised if Bob came into my office and started throwing papers on the floor. [;)]

* Sorry I can't be more specific. I want to be transparent and helpful, but I also don't want to over-promise.

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/691018#Comment_691018

Eli, I have to admit, you're a winner. You say what you mean.

Now, of course, I feel for Francis.

And indeed, I don't know if you have any appreciation for Herod Antipas, but him seeing John the Baptist after he just took his head off, is like seeing Steve Jobs resurrected at Logos.