Product Documentation Survey

This report measures the quality and quantity of several different kinds of WorldForge product documentation.It was last updated on June 29th, 2002. The next update is scheduled for December 2002. If you want your product reviewed or updated before then, please contact ZephyrAlfredo.

Please note that this table compares the documentation of the products, not the products themselves. When it says silence-py's purpose is 'none', it means that its purpose is undocumented, not that it has no purpose.

CVS Module	Location	Purpose	Depends	Installation	Usage	License	How to help	Design	Code
forge/clients/apogee	CVS	thorough	adequate	generic	minimal	GPL	none	none	none
forge/clients/dime	Website	exhaustive	thorough	minimal	none	GPL	minimal	exhaustive	thorough
forge/clients/equator	CVS@	none	adequate	generic	none	GPL	none	none	none
forge/clients/frost	CVS	adequate	thorough	thorough	minimal	GPL	adequate	minimal	thorough
forge/clients/mist	Both@	minimal	none	none	none	GPL	none	adequate	thorough+
forge/clients/process	CVS	adequate	none	generic	none	GPL	none	minimal	adequate
forge/clients/sear	Website	adequate	minimal	adequate	thorough	GPL	none	minimal	minimal
forge/clients/shards	CVS@	none	none	generic	none	GPL	none	none	minimal
forge/clients/silence-py	CVS-	none	none	none	thorough	GPL	thorough	none	minimal
forge/clients/uclient	Both	adequate	thorough	thorough	thorough	GPL	adequate	minimal	minimal
forge/clients/vestri	CVS-	thorough	adequate	adequate	exhaustive	MISSING	adequate	thorough	adequate+
forge/clients/yup	CVS-	thorough	thorough	adequate	none	GPL	none	minimal	adequate
forge/libs/Atlas-C++	CVS	adequate	thorough	adequate	thorough	LGPL	thorough*	adequate	adequate
forge/libs/Atlas-Java	CVS	adequate	adequate	minimal	none	LGPL	none	none	thorough
forge/libs/coal	CVS-	thorough	minimal	none	minimal	GPL	thorough	thorough	adequate
forge/libs/eris	CVS	thorough	thorough	thorough	thorough	GPL	adequate	minimal	adequate
forge/libs/janus	CVS	thorough	none	none	adequate	MISSING	none	minimal	minimal
forge/libs/java	CVS	adequate	thorough	thorough	none	GPL	adequate	none	adequate
forge/libs/skstream	CVS-	minimal	none	thorough	minimal	UNUSUAL	none	minimal	adequate
forge/libs/skstream2	CVS	minimal	none	generic	none	LGPL	none	none	minimal
forge/libs/varconf	CVS	thorough	thorough	thorough	thorough	LGPL	none	minimal	none
forge/libs/wfmath	CVS	adequate	adequate	generic	adequate	GPL	adequate	thorough	thorough
forge/protocols/atlas	Both	thorough	n/a	n/a	adequate	MISSING	none	thorough	n/a
forge/servers/cyphesis	CVS-	thorough	minimal	adequate	thorough	GPL	none	thorough	minimal
forge/servers/cyphesis-C++	Both	thorough	minimal	generic	thorough	GPL	adequate*	minimal	none
forge/servers/stage	Both	thorough	exhaustive	exhaustive	minimal	GPL	minimal	thorough+	adequate
forge/servers/venus	CVS@	minimal	none	generic	minimal	GPL	none	none	adequate
forge/tools/eidetic	CVS	exhaustive	adequate	thorough	thorough	GPL	minimal	thorough	thorough
forge/tools/Ptah	CVS-	thorough	minimal	adequate	thorough	GPL	none	minimal	minimal
forge/tools/zope	Both	minimal	n/a	n/a	thorough	GPL	none	none	thorough
metaserver	CVS	adequate	minimal	minimal	minimal	GPL	none	minimal	none

Category Notes:

The categories are arranged in the probable order that a new user would see them.
Location:

CVS means that the best documentation is in CVS, and was reviewed there.
Website means that the best documentation is on the Website, and was reviewed there.
Both means that the the documentation is spread out over CVS and the Website, and both locations needed to be examined to get the best documentation.
A @ indicates that the product is new, and a - indicates that the product is inactive.

Purpose: how well a product's features, plan, and design goals are documented.
License:

NONE means that a license was not mentioned anywhere.
MISSING means that COPYING was missing, but a license was mentioned in the source code.

Dependencies: how well the product's requirements, or lack thereof, are documented. Usually found in the INSTALL or README file.
Install: how detailed the installation procedure is. Generic means the installation instructions consisted solely of the standard generic autoconf instructions. Generic instructions are reasonable if the product has no configuration options or dependencies beyond the compiler, but additional documentation is preferred.
Usage: how well the actual use of a product is documented. For libraries, this might be API documentation, sample programs, or a tutorial. For clients, servers, and tools, this might be documentation of command-line options or configuration files, a manual, sample data, context-sensitive help, a good webpage, a FAQ, or even a man/info page.
How to help: how well the product invites or demonstrates how to aid in its development. Usually found in the README, HACKING, or TODO files, or on the website. Bonus points if the product documents both what needs doing and how to do it. A * indicates that help is not wanted.
Design: how the product explains the relationship between its purpose and implementation. Usually found in a separate directory or in the code itself.
Code: how well the actual source code is documented, based on the detail and extent of comments in the primary source files.

ChangeLog

June 2002

Removed Opal, Willow, and loupe due to inactivity.
Removed the 'Up to date' and 'Atlas Usage' categories. Up to date is too hard to track, and Atlas Usage is really part of code documentation.
Added several products that have seen CVS activity recently.
Added the 'Location' category.

March 2002

clients/dime was added.
clients/morgate was removed since it is no longer in CVS.
clients/vestri's license was updated to MISSING.
clients/xclient was removed since it has seen no activity.
libs/java was added.
libs/skstream2 was added.
libs/wfmath's 'design' was increased by 2.
servers/stage's license was updated to GPL.