Title: Introduction to Documentation Notice: http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Introduction

In this orientation module you will learn how to get started in the OpenOffice Documentation Team.

To complete this module, read through the material on this page, including the linked references. There will also be some start-up tasks for you to perform, such as signing up for an account in our wiki.

Your first task is to subscribe to our Documentation mailing list. You can subscribe by sending an email to doc-subscribe@openoffice.apache.org.

Then you can introduce yourself by sending an email to the list. We'd love to hear who you are, where you are from, what your background is, etc. Also as you work through the items on this page, if you have questions or problems, please feel free to ask for help by sending a note to this same list.

Note: In parallel with the Doc-specific items on this page, you may want to also review the Level 1 and Level 2 Orientation Modules. They have useful background information on The Apache Way, mailing list etiquette, decision making in the project, etc. A quick review is a good idea, especially if you are new to working in Apache-style open source projects.

Now with the introductions out of the way, let's get started!

The Big Picture

As a popular end-user facing product, Apache OpenOffice is used by millions of people around the world, with a wide range of skills and backgrounds. Some have been using OpenOffice for decades. Others are just moving over from Microsoft Office. Some are very familiar with computers and their operating systems. Others may be using a computer for the first time. Some are doing just basic editing. Others are “power users” and are creating complex applications built on top of OpenOffice.

When users have a question, when they get stuck, there are a wide range of options for them:

• They might ask a friend for help
• They might search Google for help
• They might press F1 in the application and look for help
• They might post a question to our community support forum
• They might go to the OpenOffice.org website and look for a solution there

The documentation we write aids both the end-users as well as those who support the end users. We aim to provide authoritative, up-to-date material for Apache OpenOffice, and to aid users of all skill levels. If we do our tasks well, users are more satisfied and more productive.

Varieties of Documentation

We maintain documentation in a variety of forms:

• Built-in help files that are included in the product installs. These are context-sensitive help files that you get when you press “F1” in an OpenOffice application.
• User Guides that are available on the website. These include a mixture of overview and task-specific topics.
• Special topics, such as migration guides, scripting cookbooks, etc.

All OpenOffice documentation is housed on the OpenOffice wiki for ease of maintenance by volunteers with the exception of the help files which are integrated with the OpenOffice product itself.

Goals and Constraints

In our documentation work we need to be aware of the following goals and constraints:

• Only around 1/3 of OpenOffice users speak English as their native language. This is true also of the volunteers working on documentation. So in our list conversations, and in our documentation, we should aim for good, simple English prose, avoiding regional idioms and jargon. By convention we're adopting U.S. English spelling for the documentation. So we should plan for the documentation we write to be translated at some point.
• We should also write the documentation so it can be translated into other languages. This means we need to be careful about how we mix text and graphics together in any diagrams.
• We use the Apache License 2.0 for all project deliverables. This “permissive” open source license ensures that everyone has the ability to adapt and reuse the documentation that we create. But it also means that we need to be careful about what other 3rd party material we use in our documentation. Until you are familiar with the Apache rules for using 3rd party material into an Apache product, you should start a discussion on the mailing list for any 3rd party material you want to reuse. This includes material from the legacy OpenOffice.org project as well, since some of that was under a different license.
• We're aiming to provide as much content as possible in the form of MWiki pages. These are easy for users to access, from any device. Also, since they are indexed by search engines they will be easy to find for the users who like to resolve issues by searching Google for solutions.

Volunteers are Welcome

We‘re looking for volunteers with technical writing experience, a good working knowledge of OpenOffice, or ideally both. The ability to collaborate with others in written English on the mailing list is required, but you just need to be understandable. For the actual writing, we have editor volunteers who will review and edit the rough drafts to fix any language errors. So you don’t need to have native-level English skills.

For some specialized areas skills in graphic design and programming are also useful.

Volunteers on the Documentation Team work on a variety of tasks, including:

• Authoring draft documentation on a specific area of the OpenOffice product.
• Reviewing draft documentation for technical correctness, e.g., repeating the steps described in a task and verifying that they are complete and no steps are missing.
• Editing draft documentation for clarity and style.
• Preparing screenshots, diagrams and artwork for covers.
• Developing tools and scripts to aid in repetitive tasks, such as document format conversions.

Getting Started

The Documentation Team is the easiest one to get started with. There are just a few basic steps:

1. Subscribe to our Documentation mailing list by sending an email to doc-subscribe@openoffice.apache.org.
2. Sign up for an account on our MWiki by sending an e-mail with your preferred user name and e-mail address to the Documentation mailing list
3. Sign up for an account on our CWiki (Why do we have two wikis? It is a long story...)Note: After creation the account must be allowed by sending a request with the account name to the Documentation mailing list
4. Add your name to our Directory of Volunteers and Documentation Volunteers pages.
5. Send an email to the Documentation mailing list and introduce yourself.

We can then bring you up to speed on what we're currently working on.

Module Completion

Once you have completed this Module, go to our our Directory of Volunteers wiki page and add or update your information. Congratulations! Please send a note to doc@openoffice.apache.org so we know.