Re:Will Bun JavaScript Take Node's Crown
by lelanthran on Sunday August 14, 2022 @09:09AM
(#32458945)
> This is one of engineering things that happens year over year. We all understand the value of good docs. Yet it keeps happening. Why?
Because doing anything is is irrational?
Time is finite, only a rounding error number of projects (especially open-source ones) are going to be successful, with or without docs.
Only an irrational developer would think that they are going to hit the 1-in-a-thousand jackpot with their project.
Any time spent producing documentation is time not spent on adding features and fixing bugs.
Spending time on documentation over and above the bare necessity needed to get out a working product "just in case we win the jackpot" is simply irrational.
This is probably why you don't find many projects spending significant startup time on good, clear and comprehensive docs (as opposed to a README and an FAQ and nothing more): the ones that do as you suggest mostly die before even getting users.
TLDR; don't treat your startup project as if you already have 5m users who depend on you. The odds are that you are never going to get to that point without a good product, and the better the product, the fewer the docs needed.
Because doing anything is is irrational?
Time is finite, only a rounding error number of projects (especially open-source ones) are going to be successful, with or without docs.
Only an irrational developer would think that they are going to hit the 1-in-a-thousand jackpot with their project.
Any time spent producing documentation is time not spent on adding features and fixing bugs.
Spending time on documentation over and above the bare necessity needed to get out a working product "just in case we win the jackpot" is simply irrational.
This is probably why you don't find many projects spending significant startup time on good, clear and comprehensive docs (as opposed to a README and an FAQ and nothing more): the ones that do as you suggest mostly die before even getting users.
TLDR; don't treat your startup project as if you already have 5m users who depend on you. The odds are that you are never going to get to that point without a good product, and the better the product, the fewer the docs needed.