[ZDP] Beginners Guides

[Maik Roeder]

Hi Rik !

Rik Hoekstra wrote:
> On the front page I would like to have just the Portals. Is it
> unrealistic to assume that people will select their Portal
> without a short introduction ?
> 
> [rh]Not if they have already been there. Otherwise, an introduction is a
> good idea. Wouldn't it be a good idea to insert texts/introductions
> depending on the last time someone visited the homepage (using a cookie and
> a simple dtml-if/else), and afterwards use a link (like: more or short
> intro) instead?
>
> Hm, think about this, why not make more things customizable in this way?
> That way you can make good use of the dynamic capabilities of Zope. I'll be
> happy to help contributing (if i can find the time ;-))

I am going to concentrate on different things, but we can add this
as a Task to the ZDP-Tools.
 
> We should work together with Amos to make this a great resource.
> 
> [rh] The tutorial (which is basically a canned hands-on session) is not
> enough. Newbies also need some more 'theoretical' (read: higher level,
> conceptual) texts to get them acquainted with Zope and it's (basic)
> concepts: what is dtml, what can I use it for, how? What are all these
> objects I can choose from. I have a sql database, can I connect it to Zope?
> How? And then. Believe me, I have seen people struggle with this.

I would like the Subjects and Topics contain this information. They
should be community specific introductions with pointers to the good
resource.
 
> See his Tutorial Notes:
> 
> http://www.zope.org/Documentation/Projects/Tutorial/TutorialNotes
> 
> [rh] see above. Moreover, as far as I have seen it, first time users stumble
> blindly through the tutorial, do not know what is happening, have little
> affinity with the subject and do not care what is happening.

I have tried to separate the user groups with the portals. An Administrator
with some Apache background should find exactly how he can use Zope to 
make it work with Apache. 

> I think they learn best by getting somehing done. Let's try and give them a
> hand in  determining _what_ can be done with Zope, why Zope is good for it
> and how to do it. In this last part the tutorial may come in as a handy
> illustration.

This should be answered in the Prospective Zope Users and Developers Portal !
Here, people need to find out what Zope can do for them.

> MacroMedia authorware has a usable concept in help/tutorial. They have
> reusable, annotated and extensible pieces of software for key tasks and a
> higher level description how to integrate them.
> In this way the tutorial could be extended.

So, we would have:

Key Tasks: Create a simple homepage with Zope
           Create a Guest book with Zope
           Create a News Site like Slashdot with Zope

Integration:
           How to integrate a Database in Zope
           How to integrate a Python Program using Zope
    
More ideas ?

Greetings,

Maik 

-- 
Open Source is "about being able to work together with people you've
never  met, on projects that  are in  a constant state  of flux,  on 
a time schedule  that would  cause a  hummingbird's  head to  spin."
Paul Ferris, http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/opinions/1593/1/