[ZDP] Learning (and teaching) DTML...by writing a manual on it

[Eron Lloyd]

Hello guys, I've been doing some thinking, and I want to seriously
pursue this...a book on web programming with DTML. Not in the sense of a
"dead tree" book, but an open manual for learning (mastering?) DTML. I
want to start from scratch, meaning "Hey, I know HTML but little
else...Zope looks great, what do I need to know to do useful things? I
don't want to learn python yet, but I want to fully understand DTML.
Where do I start?" I want that answer to be HERE: Mastering DTML: The
Eight-Fold Way. Using the "Zen" of Zope, I'd like to write a working
manual that would start the new Zope developer on his/her enlightened
path, ranging from "what the heck is DTML?" to "How do I use DTML & XML
to make my web app awesome?". I'll be using traditional bhuddism style
of writing and try to create useful proverbs out of the underlying "Zope
Zen", building on skills with each chapter. There should be oodles of
code examples/tutorials, good reference structure, and a light writing
style that both doesn't intimidate the newcomer or bore the experienced.

What does everyone think? If it sounds like a good idea, my next
question is "what would be the best way to teach DTML? What things
should EVERYONE who will use it know, assuming they do not know any
programming, etc.?" Since I am still considered a newbie myself, I think
that a lot of questions I've had along the way are still fresh in my
memory; however, what would be the best way to present this information?
I know stuff like syntax style, creating variables, explanation of the
different tags (and lots of example usage), etc. should come first, but
then what? How about creating images, processing forms, generating
tables, etc. and other useful skills?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Eron