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Help me improve the redline.st website

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SeanTAllen

Help me improve the redline.st website

Hi all,

I'm working on the first page of the redline website. Trying to get it to speak to what people want to know when they first get to the website for a programming language. I've put together a few questions as a github gist. I'd appreciate any answers you can give.

https://gist.github.com/1306461

Forwarding the url around to others would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Sean

James Ladd

Re: Help me improve the redline.st website

When I first get to a site about a language that I am using I like to see:

1. What is current version
2. A download link to get current version
3. A link to installation / how to run - documentation
4. A link to language documentation
5. A link to how I can post bugs
6. A link to where I can post questions.

less important

7. A link to user or developer generated documentation / articles / blogs.

On Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 7:31 AM, Sean T Allen <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi all,

I'm working on the first page of the redline website. Trying to get it to speak to what people want to know when they first get to the website for a programming language. I've put together a few questions as a github gist. I'd appreciate any answers you can give.

https://gist.github.com/1306461

Forwarding the url around to others would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Sean

Randy Coulman

Re: Help me improve the redline.st website

James' list is good, but I'd add one more thing. If it's a language I'm not that familiar with, then I want a brief overview about what's special/different/notable about it.

Randy

On Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 2:03 PM, James Ladd <[hidden email]> wrote:

When I first get to a site about a language that I am using I like to see:

1. What is current version
2. A download link to get current version
3. A link to installation / how to run - documentation
4. A link to language documentation
5. A link to how I can post bugs
6. A link to where I can post questions.

less important

7. A link to user or developer generated documentation / articles / blogs.

On Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 7:31 AM, Sean T Allen <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi all,

I'm working on the first page of the redline website. Trying to get it to speak to what people want to know when they first get to the website for a programming language. I've put together a few questions as a github gist. I'd appreciate any answers you can give.

https://gist.github.com/1306461

Forwarding the url around to others would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Sean

--
Randy Coulman
[hidden email]

SeanTAllen

Re: Help me improve the redline.st website

Lets say you were pitching o, I don't know... a Smalltalk that runs on the JVM to someone...

What do you think are the key, most important points that make it special, notable, different?

Your elevator pitch for smalltalk and perhaps smalltalk on the jvm?

Does your list that looks like James's stay that way if it is a language you haven't ever used?

On Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 7:20 PM, Randy Coulman wrote:

James' list is good, but I'd add one more thing. If it's a language I'm not that familiar with, then I want a brief overview about what's special/different/notable about it.

Randy

On Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 2:03 PM, James Ladd <[hidden email]> wrote:
When I first get to a site about a language that I am using I like to see:

1. What is current version
2. A download link to get current version
3. A link to installation / how to run - documentation
4. A link to language documentation
5. A link to how I can post bugs
6. A link to where I can post questions.

less important

7. A link to user or developer generated documentation / articles / blogs.

On Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 7:31 AM, Sean T Allen <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi all,

I'm working on the first page of the redline website. Trying to get it to speak to what people want to know when they first get to the website for a programming language. I've put together a few questions as a github gist. I'd appreciate any answers you can give.

https://gist.github.com/1306461

Forwarding the url around to others would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Sean

--
Randy Coulman
[hidden email]

Randy Coulman

Re: Help me improve the redline.st website

Now you're asking hard questions :-).

I like the current tagline a lot, so I'd keep that. After thinking about it for maybe 30 seconds, I'd say something like:

"Smalltalk is a pure object-oriented language with minimal syntax and a rich, powerful class library. Redline Smalltalk is a true (pure/real?) Smalltalk that runs on the JVM."

Kinda lame, but that's why I don't work in marketing.

I think James' list stays the same, but I might add a link to some examples so that I could get a quick feel for what the language looks like.

Randy

On Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 4:23 PM, Sean T Allen <[hidden email]> wrote:

Lets say you were pitching o, I don't know... a Smalltalk that runs on the JVM to someone...

What do you think are the key, most important points that make it special, notable, different?
Your elevator pitch for smalltalk and perhaps smalltalk on the jvm?

Does your list that looks like James's stay that way if it is a language you haven't ever used?

On Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 7:20 PM, Randy Coulman wrote:

James' list is good, but I'd add one more thing. If it's a language I'm not that familiar with, then I want a brief overview about what's special/different/notable about it.

Randy

On Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 2:03 PM, James Ladd <[hidden email]> wrote:
When I first get to a site about a language that I am using I like to see:

1. What is current version
2. A download link to get current version
3. A link to installation / how to run - documentation
4. A link to language documentation
5. A link to how I can post bugs
6. A link to where I can post questions.

less important

7. A link to user or developer generated documentation / articles / blogs.

On Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 7:31 AM, Sean T Allen <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi all,

I'm working on the first page of the redline website. Trying to get it to speak to what people want to know when they first get to the website for a programming language. I've put together a few questions as a github gist. I'd appreciate any answers you can give.

https://gist.github.com/1306461

Forwarding the url around to others would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Sean

--
Randy Coulman
[hidden email]

--
Randy Coulman
[hidden email]

Lee Breisacher-2

Re: Help me improve the redline.st website

In reply to this post by James Ladd

A small item: I always like to see the *date* that the current version
was released, so I can quickly assess how "current" the project is
("Was this released 3 months ago or 3 years ago?")

On Oct 22, 2:03 pm, James Ladd <[hidden email]> wrote:

> When I first get to a site about a language that I am using I like to see:
>
> 1. What is current version
> 2. A download link to get current version
> 3. A link to installation / how to run - documentation
> 4. A link to language documentation
> 5. A link to how I can post bugs
> 6. A link to where I can post questions.
>
> less important
>
> 7. A link to user or developer generated documentation / articles / blogs.
>
> On Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 7:31 AM, Sean T Allen
> <[hidden email]>wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hi all,
>
> > I'm working on the first page of the redline website. Trying to get it to
> > speak to what people want to know when they first get to the website for a
> > programming language. I've put together a few questions as a github gist.
> > I'd appreciate any answers you can give.
>
> >https://gist.github.com/1306461
>
> > Forwarding the url around to others would also be greatly appreciated.
>
> > Thanks,
> > Sean

Sebastian Nozzi-2

Re: Help me improve the redline.st website

In reply to this post by SeanTAllen

My points, many of which have already been mentioned.

"Getting started" section:
- how to install it and get it running (this HAS to work, if it
doesn't you may not get a 2nd chance)
- further documentation and (working) examples to try out

About the project:
- is it active?
- is the documentation complete, accurate and up-to-date? (also a big
turn-down for many projects)

As a JVM language:
- Integration!!! How to integrate with existing java code/projects?
How easy is it? (this is important for someone hunting for alternative
JVM-languages)
- Advantages of ST over plain Java (and most other languages): no more
recompiles, ability to interact with and explore the running system,
ability to try things out (workspace), simplicity, readability.

(I miss ST a lot at work each time I have to recompile the whole
project and wait a minute just because I changed one line, only to
find it was still wrong, and repeat again. It also frustrates me not
being able to change code while debugging, and not being able to try
snippets of code out)

For people new to ST:
- how does it look like? (show some syntax)
- what sets it apart? (see above)

Cheers,

Sebastian

James Ladd

Re: Help me improve the redline.st website

Great points. We will be addressing each an every one.

On Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 6:29 AM, Sebastian Nozzi <[hidden email]> wrote:

My points, many of which have already been mentioned.

"Getting started" section:
- how to install it and get it running (this HAS to work, if it
doesn't you may not get a 2nd chance)
- further documentation and (working) examples to try out

About the project:
- is it active?
- is the documentation complete, accurate and up-to-date? (also a big
turn-down for many projects)

As a JVM language:
- Integration!!! How to integrate with existing java code/projects?
How easy is it? (this is important for someone hunting for alternative
JVM-languages)
- Advantages of ST over plain Java (and most other languages): no more
recompiles, ability to interact with and explore the running system,
ability to try things out (workspace), simplicity, readability.

(I miss ST a lot at work each time I have to recompile the whole
project and wait a minute just because I changed one line, only to
find it was still wrong, and repeat again. It also frustrates me not
being able to change code while debugging, and not being able to try
snippets of code out)

For people new to ST:
- how does it look like? (show some syntax)
- what sets it apart? (see above)

Cheers,

Sebastian