Code documentation written as code (opens in new tab)

(github.com)

76 pointslogvol12y ago12 comments

12 comments

Exactly what am I looking at here? I think if you want attention to your HN-posts you should put a bit more effort into it than simply linking to a git repo.

pwg12y ago

One of github's UI flubs, in my opinion, is that the main repo page puts the code file name listing at the top, and the "README" at the bottom, so with any substantial repository, one has to scroll down "below-the-fold" before one gets to the description part of the page.

A reasonable (somewhat) interface for contributors. A very lacking UI for promoting the value of the code base to non-contributors.

spellboots12y ago

Or you can just append #readme:

https://github.com/adambard/learnxinyminutes-docs#readme

justncase8012y ago

Agreed. I looked at it for a while but don't get it. It just looks like a bunch of code snippets to examples of languages. Not super valuable.

coldtea12y ago

I thought hackers were supposed to be curious and not giving up after the smallest possible annoyance.

npsimons12y ago

"Attention is scarce. Information is not. Do the math." - Nina Paley

Just because something makes it to the frontpage of HN doesn't automatically make it worthy of further investigation. Granted, one shouldn't just fling things aside because they have no immediately apparent utility, but just from the difference in the submitted headline and the first line of the linked to page, this smells a bit of coder-drama.

clebio12y ago

Context is nice to have, though.

spindritf12y ago

This is a really great format which lends itself to a whole range of mid-to-low level computer tasks. Programming/scripting, obviously, but now there's a tools section which I'm guessing will also catch on. You could describe ip(6)tables like that, or ssh.

gcr12y ago

What is OP talking about? People like Djikstra have been advocating this since the 1970s.

jaredmcateer12y ago

This isnt so much code documentation as it is simple examples of usage for a given language.

logvolOP12y ago

I didn't realize that there is a website for this: http://learnxinyminutes.com

Also didn't realize that the site had been posted before. :S

martin-adams12y ago

I do like it but not sure how well it would work when you need to express code that is over multiple files.

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