Foster Brereton
I think there is a distinction that needs to be made between 1) attracting folks to Boost 2) helping out those who are giving it a shot for the first time and know nothing about it.
I discovered it by recommendation from a colleague, and think it's the best way to advertise. That being said, (2) is still and issue for me...
Good; it's (2) that I asked about, so I appreciate that you are addressing it.
I have found the mailing list archives proved helpful, but took an inordinate amount of time to search through. Is it possible to take threads in the mailing lists that look something like this: - A: I have problem XYZ - B-Z: Oh, you need to do this - A: That fixed it, thanks! and convert them to a FAQ or additional documentation?
Maybe. Who would do that, and how?
There is a *ton* of useful information in the mailing lists, an organic conglomeration of docs that are not based on what the writer of the library thinks you'll need to know but rather what experience has taught us people want to know. The problem is it's a pain to parse through.
The only way to make it less painful would be to add some kind of automation, I guess. Any ideas?
Even if that's too much work, a FAQ/tips and tricks/searching hints on how to get the most out of the data that is already in existence would have been a big help.
When you find some tricks, let us know! Seriously, you're in a better position to do this than people who don't need to search the mailing list for that kind of answer. When I search, it's usually because I remember a particular conversation and I want to point someone at it. -- Dave Abrahams Boost Consulting www.boost-consulting.com