"we need documentation/help maintainers"

Thoughts & Feedback
#1

please refer to this> https://github.com/mate-desktop/mate-applets/pull/354#issuecomment-427047599

I am an avid Mate user. … I prefer Debian Mate, but that is off point.

I view the Mate Website and I don’t find any Basic User Guide… ( https://mate-desktop.org/ )
many folks try Mate and (depending on the distro) think Mate is the same as Cinnamon or something else (first impressions) and don’t realize the power and functionality… they just think Mate is “lightweight” for old low resource computers.

Sorry, probably preaching to the choir.

We Mate enthusiasts need to step up to the plate and get some Basic How To Guides going to help out the developers.

This is the only site I have found that appears to be Mate Specific… so I am jumping in. Forgive me if I am being redundant … noobs are like that :wink:

My best, Peter

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#2

Hi mexsudo, I can’t make any promises, but I am more of a writer than a coder (doing BizTalk as work and having obtained an English degree). What would you like to see most in documentation? A bit of marketing as well or plain information?

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#3

I am not a coder, probably too old to learn.

To my point of view We need some beginner user guide of some sort, and get it on the Mate website.
Simple examples of the panel(s), and how to arrange them.
Examples of the add-ons to the panels, and how to configure them.
Menus: including Brisk we now have Four… noobs to Mate are usually unaware.

A web page type setup with snapshots is my vision.
I have search high and low, but little is to be found on the web.
Most of what I know now is just from my long use of Gnome2 and now Mate.

I hate to evangelize, but I hate to see Mate dismissed as “Cinnamon Lite” even more.

Many years ago I could author simple web pages, but that world has passed me by.

PS: the Mate developers have a great start at the nuts and bolts already, but we need something more Basic, for the noobs.

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#4

There are 3-4 ubuntu mate beginners guide on the web . Maybe someone can edit them to be only mate guide.

#5

can you provide a link? thanks

#6

On thing Mate is not is “cinnamon Lite”. In terms of customization is it far superior to Cinnamon in my opinion. And, for me, customisability is everything. I just can;t stand it when devs start to make workflow and aesthetic choices for me.

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#7

I agree with Cinnamon being vastly different. If there are 3-4 beginner guides already, it’ll be difficult to improve them. Maybe add the viewpoint how MATE has reinvigorated Gnome two? I liked Xfce a bit more in the past, but Mate has made me a convert.

#8

Like i did have a conversation with @vkareh. The Mate documentation is old. (Especially when we see xubuntu documentation that is top notch). We need users that have the time to update and improve all the documentation available on this site. I like these types of conversations so let’s keep the ball rolling.

#9

I signed up on Transifex for translation work, but I’ve been quite busy for the last month couple of months with my thesis work and exams. I started translating though… I hope to finish that in a day or two…

Regarding the documentation, can you explain how I can contribute?:slight_smile:

#10

Sorry, I don’t really know where to begin.

I follow Mate on Gethub, just out of curiosity https://github.com/mate-desktop

monsta made a comment “I agree - we need documentation/help maintainers.”

we have package mate-user-guide “User documentation for MATE Desktop Environment”
that documentation is not readily available… I can’t find it in the menus

the common Users should be able to provide some input and enhance whatever is out there

#11

@monsta look up my friend!

#12

Good news, a couple people have stepped forward.
Kudos for both!

#13

well, one year went by... I guess this is a dead issue.

I think that sucks, I see many struggling with other desktops looking for features and tools we use every day with Mate.

I am still available to help if desired. I don't use Ubuntu or it's derivatives regularly, just Debian stable and testing

Peter Ehlert
peter @ SDI-Baja.com

#14

@mexsudo I really understand your desire regarding a guide to Mate Desktop.

Personally I think Mate Desktop is easy to use, and easy for default customization.
Is not like KDE, But even if I switch to KDE, witch is really bloated, and settings are messy, I manage to find the settings looking around desktop.
You just remember me a long time ago when I buy a 1000 page book on how to use windows 95. I think those days has pass.
Look even an Android Phone this days does not come wit an Android Guide (or maybe I am wrong), and When I buy one a long time ago for the first time, I simply look for tips on internet regarding my specific need for use or customization, sometimes I find new things on PC or phone even now and even without a book.

A guide will be nice, but will be good if will be more like a Reference Manual than a getting started one, at list for me that I use PC-s for a long time ago. Maybe for children's a getting Started one will be good.

#15

True, Mate is "so simple anyone can do it" but I lived my working life feeling documentation is super important.


This is where I would hope to find a User Guide or Reference Manual... but there are only generic links.

The Mate Wiki did exist at one time, I think it did.

I would hope to create/edit in a format that would be suitable.

#16

The wiki exists, but the server has some issues that need to be addressed before it can be made functional again, unfortunately...

Regarding a guide, each MATE application has their own help guide (easily accessible by pressing F1), and we also have this website here, which serves as a repository of collective knowledge.

We use categories to group certain topics: https://ubuntu-mate.community/c/tips-tricks-and-tutorials

Unfortunately, documentation is one of those things that are really hard to do, and is a very thankless job, so we don't have a queue of volunteers contributing to an "official" guide. Although there's actually a guide for purchase at https://ubuntu-mate.boutique/

In my opinion, a combination of the F1 help and this website cover most of what 80% of users would need out of MATE.

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#17

I can help :slight_smile: what kind of docs?

#18

Okay, so the wiki has been fixed, upgraded, and re-deployed:

https://mate-desktop.github.io/mate-wiki

We're still figuring out some DNS issues to give it back its proper URL, but this should be usable for the time being. We've moved the entire thing to using GitHub pages, which also saves us the headaches of running our own server for it.

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#19

vkareh
are you aware that the link on https://mate-desktop.org/community/ is still broken?

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#20

@mexsudo, as the author of that guide, I can provide you with a copy at no charge if you would like to read through it. It is also licensed under Creative Commons so that you are free to use any portion of it with a simple attribution. I'd also be up to authoring or helping to author a similar guide for MATE. If you have any questions, would like a copy of the Ubuntu MATE guide,
or would like to pursue this further, please let me know.

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