[Firebird-docs] Re: Three Questions

[Andy C. <an...@ad...>]

> Actually, I did not take the tin can.=20
When Helen / Ann / Jim / Pavel want to know what's going on with the =
documentation, who are they going to ask? You. That means you've got the =
tin can. Being the person that everything is routed through, you're the =
only one who knows what's going on, you're necessary to hand out tasks, =
you've got the tin can. You put yourself in the prime spot, so you're =
it. That doesn't mean that you have to do it all; it means that you get =
the flack, the questions, the worry, the gold star.

> One pressing need is to have a Firebird documentation that is not 70% =
lifted
> from the Interbase version. One idea I'm looking into is to use the =
other
> database servers' documentations as guides and outlines, while putting =
in
> Firebird instructiosn.

If we don't run into copyright problems with those other sources, yeah.=20

> I really thank you for volunteering to help. It would be neat if you =
can
> give me the topics (or titles) you would like to work on, so I don't =
have to
> duplicate those areas. (I believe in delegation and teamwork.)

In order for there to be delegation there must be a boss. That's you.

Here's my list:

Connections - I'd like to work up coherent coverage of connections. I =
can't handle some of the UNIX / NT details but I think I can cover the =
commands, the mechanisms, the rules and the guidelines.

SQL Language Reference - This is the massive part. While I tend to write =
pretty good specifications, which this is, essentially, I may not know =
all the ins and outs. But for the Firebird group it may be easier for me =
to write it and others correct it than to wait for others to have the =
time to write it. If you've got a more qualified candidate hand it to =
her.

The isql tool - In my outline this goes in a section including gpre, =
gbak, dli, etc. I use isql a lot and I'd like to cover it. What I get =
wrong know can be altered later.

> I hope you won't mind doing this on a private e-mail conversation =
first. By
> experience, I can assure you that this is a lot better because we can =
thresh
> out difficult ideas and express ourselves more freely without inviting
> flames from others. When things have settled down to a pretty level =
field,
> that's the time we go public. I hope that's okay with you.

If we were in a company I'd have no trouble with this. I would go to the =
boss to make confirm that you are authorized to do this and that I am =
assigned to take direction from you. However, in Firebird there is no =
central authority and so there is no one who can say "Yes, Andy, do it =
his way." In Firebird the community is the authority. You tell me that =
Helen told you, but Helen didn't confirm it to me, and even if she did I =
don't know to what extent I should be taking directives from Helen. The =
one person I have heard enough about, and enough from, to respect =
personally is Ann. If anyone in Firebird has the authority to tell me =
"go there", it is Ann, and she has it because I gave it to her.

I'm going to send this directly to you and I expect that you will be =
sending things directly to me. However, I am also going to post this to =
Firebird-docs so that the community, who in effect is our stockholders, =
has notice and record of what is going on.=20