Ruby-doc.org officially updated
October 3rd, 2011
I pushed what was the beta version to live. www.ruby-doc.org
I’m sure there are things that are not quite right, or maybe outright broken, but I’m also sure that this version is better than the previous one so it’s a win.
If you find a problem please let me know.
On a related note, I stopped being any sort of regular reader of the ruby-lang mailing list some time ago. There are all sorts of reasons; it’s not important why. Every so often I check to see if there’s anything that catches my eye, or anything about ruby-doc.org. Most of the time any reference to the site is about how the rdoc content is wrong|confusing|whatever. There’s nothing I can do about that since the docs come right from the source code.
But once in a while I read a complaint about the site itself, and sometimes there’s some discussion about the why’s and what’s, but rarely do the people posting ever bother to write to site maintainer. My name and E-mail address are plastered all over the damn site, I’m easy to reach, so it’s a little baffling why people don’t direct their complaint to the person who is best able to do something about them.
My theory is that too many people prefer to bitch in public than take corrective action. (I like this theory because I’m guilty of it at times some I have some data to back it up.)
Bitching in public is fine if it’s accompanied by some effort to correct things, even if that means bitching directly to someone in charge (and yes I do that as well; it’s more satisfying and often gets tangible results).
So please, if you’re using ruby-doc.org and something bothers you, let me know. Do not assume I’m reading any particular mailing list or blog or g+ circle or whatever.
Of course, the same goes if you like the site. But above all remember that the people to really thank are the ones writing the documentation.
Addendum: The RDoc template in use largely Darkfish, with some JavaScript copped from Babel, and some bastardized application of Inuit CSS. Any quirks, flubs, or unsavory nonsense is my own invention.
10 Responses to “Ruby-doc.org officially updated”
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October 3rd, 2011 at 06:26 PM
It looks great!
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:57 PM
It is looking good yes.
Thank you. And regarding people talking shit and not being constructive, haters gonna hate. In the end you made the docs awesome and they still haven’t done zilch.
Thank you.
October 4th, 2011 at 01:10 AM
Thank you for your work and effort. As much as I appreciate improvements of ruby-doc.org, it is still, inferior (for me) in terms of accessibility and user experience comparint to rubydoc.info. I find navigating and searching for stuff much more easier there. For me, ruby-doc.org now is big accessibility no no. There is very low contrast between regular text, and (clickable) links, so I have to “think” for a while, every time, what is what. Besides that, even regular text is somehow hard to read, because it’s in too low contrast with white background (although, there’s no drama here). I understand that you cannot please everyone, but I think that for public websites like you’re working on, accessibility should be one of the most important concerns. Whether my concerns are valid for ruby-doc.org, I leave to your judgment. That said, I am very happy to see, that someone is working ruby-doc.org, thank you!
October 4th, 2011 at 05:54 AM
The ruby-doc facelift looks fantastic. Great work.
October 5th, 2011 at 02:10 PM
Ernest: Thanks for the feedback. My goal was to move the site forward, which I think I’ve done. There’s still more to do. One thing I’m considering is an option to swap stylesheets to provide larger fonts or higher contrast. I’m also open to changing the default CSS if it isn’t working well enough for enough people.
There are other usability issues to address as well, and comments on that are welcome so I know where to focus.
Bertrand: Yeah, haters gonna hate, but truthfully the response has been quite favorable, and with one exception even those who had complaints have expressed them in a reasonably civil manner.
I don’t want anyone to think they shouldn’t express disapproval and if people want to be blunt, that’s OK. Just don’t be a dick about it.
October 6th, 2011 at 05:20 AM
Thanks! Looks great!
October 6th, 2011 at 07:28 AM
This is great! When I first started learning Ruby I was always disappointed in the docs, but never really had the time to contribute. Seeing this being improved by someone in the community is inspiring.
October 6th, 2011 at 10:29 AM
Absolutely awesome! Congratulations on your initiative! I’m really glad ruby can count on ppl like you :)
October 6th, 2011 at 10:46 AM
Looks awesome! Keep up the good work.
October 6th, 2011 at 11:06 AM
I’m with Ernest here.
I don’t have any visual impairment, so accessibility in that sense is not even an issue for me. And I actually think the site looks very beautiful. But aesthetics should not be the primary concern for a documentation site.
I find the low contrast between text/links/background just makes it more difficult to read and more difficult to use, even if it’s pretty to look at.
A simple “black text, blue links” would make ruby-doc.org way better.