[PD] translate the Start Here! page

[Ed Kelly]

> Also notice that neither you nor I are the least bit interested in fixing these

> problems in the FLOSS manual, and we're especially not interested in taking
> it on as a long term project.  Who does that leave?  If it leaves anyone
> wouldn't their time be better spent fixing the doc problems listed on the 
> tracker
> than etching in stone a description of a moving target?


Well, if you have to teach Pd to art students who are used to using Photoshop and Final Cut Pro (as I do) the FLOSS manual page is very useful to give them some idea of what the objects are. It may not be 100% accurate, but at least it is (only) a start. I do hope that the search mechanism replaces static docs conceptually, but here is why they should be kept.

Learning Pd from scratch is not easy unless you are already a computer scientist. "How do I know what the objects are called" is I agree, the wrong question in so many ways. However, 80% of my undergraduate students basically give up at that point if they can't find the answer, and probably 60% of my masters students, often after saying "I hate Pd". This question usually comes up in the first lesson. I could criticise them for this, except that there is an impression that Pd is "open" as well as open-source. Is it? Or is it highly elitist? I think it can be both, but I don't want to kick away the ladder...

Perhaps the problem lies more with "standards" for documentation across the whole community - it's never going to happen (remember Pdpedia?) because the Pd community can be somewhat anarchic. Hats off to Hans - making Pd-extended work is like nailing jelly to the wall I guess.

There are some small things we could do. For example, a description of what lies in each folder of externals and what they are for may well be enough, followed by a list of objects. My students are _scared_ of Pd because it is so utterly different to anything else they have ever engaged with. A bit of documentation that isn't in Pd itself eases the pain somewhat.

A static web page will never be up-to-date since the pd externals folder is always a moving target. But it is better than nothing. It was really hard persuading students to learn Pd when Flossmanuals didn't exist. It's still hard, but it does open some doors to my students.

Ed

> 
> -Jonathan
> 
>> 
>>  .hc
>> 
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