Is it weird that I use the aesthetics of the docs to determine whether to use a technology?
Posted by I_J_18@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 18 comments
Basically the heading.
As a beginner before I decide to learn and use a new technology, whether it’s a framework or tool.
I peruse the docs to see how they are in terms of layout, design and etc before deciding to use them.
My logic is since I’ll be here all the time, I might as well like looking at them, right?😅
Lakatos_00@reddit
Don't judge a book by it's cover
VibrantGypsyDildo@reddit
It is completely fine to be picky about something you may use for the next 4 decades of your life.
Druben-hinterm-Dorfe@reddit
If you're going to be 'picky', you'd better use the right criterion, though.
Serializedrequests@reddit
I wish more Java devs followed this logic.
Pale_Height_1251@reddit
The aesthetic is often inversely correlated to the quality of the software.
If you look at a real work of genius like Plan 9, the docs are pretty austere, but any Web framework Du jour will have slick websites and docs, despite being just some throwaway JS rubbish.
ValentineBlacker@reddit
I do actually get it, but there are different ways to view documentation in most cases, so you're not stuck with the official pages.
(eg https://kapeli.com/dash)
mxldevs@reddit
I don't care about doc aesthetics I only care whether they do what they're supposed to do
dialbox@reddit
Probably subconciously you see it as if they're willing to put time/effort into eve how the docs look, the tech would be better.
The_GSingh@reddit
Very weird. As long as it is the most efficient and effective tool, who cares if they left out a few lines of css. If it bothers you that much just scrape it into a custom template.
josephjnk@reddit
Depends on the technology. I side-eye libraries which have sparkling documentation sites with slick animations but which don’t make it immediately clear what the software actually does and what its tradeoffs are. It makes me question the developer’s target audience and priorities. For me the sweet spot is a GitHub repo with a well-written README which links to further documentation.
Pleasant-Bathroom-84@reddit
Yes, very.
RajjSinghh@reddit
Depends what you mean by aesthetics. Docs like flask aren't necessarily pretty, but they're definitely clear and have good content. Id rather have this over something visually impressive but distracting any day.
Aglet_Green@reddit
I don't know if that's weird or not. If you're the type to judge a book by it's cover, that's cool. I guess enough people are like that so that we have a saying not to do that, but statistically, if enough people do something then by definition it's not weird. It may be judged as superficial, but it's not weird in the sense that you're alone in doing it.
Personally, I think it's more weird that you posted the exact same question twice.
https://www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/1jpso7d/is_it_weird_that_i_use_the_aesthetics_of_the_docs/
I_J_18@reddit (OP)
Sorry I just deleted it, I might have clicked the post button twice 😭
Aglet_Green@reddit
Ok, I didn't realize that could happen. But anyway, back to what were saying, if you're the type who didn't want to learn to drive because you didn't like the color of the motor-vehicle handbook, I get it. That's cool. There are many terms for that sort of superficial behavior in English, but I assure you, it is so commonplace among the very young that "weird" is not one of them. You can relax; it's normal.
aqua_regis@reddit
Not weird, plain dumb.
The aesthetics don't count. The content counts.
ChaosCon@reddit
I don't let the docs unilaterally decide things for me, but they definitely contribute. If someone puts enough effort into their doc pages to make them look good and easily searched, they probably put a similar level of polish onto the actual features I'm going to use.
Aggressive_Ad_5454@reddit
In many cases, not all, the quality of the docs of a software system reflects the care taken by the people who developed it. So they are a decent proxy-measurement for the quality of the system. Good choice. Not weird at all.
You should also, when assessing / choosing a system, read a few versions’ worth of release notes. You’ll get a feeling for what kinds of defects people find and fix, and hopefully a sense of how tolerant the team is of breaking changes.
And please please keep in mind that many open source projects really need volunteer contributors to work on their docs. Docs don’t appear by magic. Consider doing some of that.