News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Memex is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed by tkiolp4 on Sunday August 06, 2023 @07:11AM (#37020797)
I usually prefer a Google Doc shared among the team to work on a given problem or feature instead of the so popular Miro. Diagrams are nice, yes, I agree, but they are not a substitute for actual text. Engineers think that because they draw boxes and lines and add little notes here and there the design is Done. Product managers usually like this approach too because “we don’t have time to read a whole page of text”. Drives me nuts.
Re:Memex is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed by Hendrikto on Sunday August 06, 2023 @07:25AM (#37020866)
You know what drives me nuts? People spending two pages on a convoluted description of what could have been a simple diagram. It goes both ways.
Re:Memex is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed by 39 on Sunday August 06, 2023 @07:42AM (#37020962)
Agree, most people cannot write concisely, sequence diagrams are generally a safer bet.
Re:Memex is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed by quaddo on Sunday August 06, 2023 @07:48AM (#37020993)
"A picture is worth a thousand words" or some such.

That said, I've certainly heard that different people prefer different ways of learning/consuming knowledge. I myself will choose video for some things, illustrations/graphs/images for other things, and text/tables for yet others. I do have a fondness for well done images, though.

Even the style of text can have an impact. Bullet points for providing instructions, instead of a long paragraph of sprawling text.

Another thing I picked up some 15 years ago is borrowed from newspapers: the concept of "above the fold"; get the main points out there near the top, and keep it concise.

Re:Memex is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed by AnimalMuppet on Sunday August 06, 2023 @08:11AM (#37021134)
A picture is worth a thousand words, but most instances of "a thousand words" cannot be expressed by a picture.
Re:Memex is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed by quaddo on Sunday August 06, 2023 @12:20PM (#37023534)
Pictures/visuals just communicate differently.

A well-done graph can communicate data and the desired message quickly. At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have poorly done or deceptive graphs.

An illustrated magazine will communicate a story differently, compared to a text-only novel. There's nuance to each approach that the other can't quite capture.

A photograph or painting can elicit a different level (breadth, depth) of mood/emotion that words might merely hint at.

Of course, what's useful in one context could be pointless in another. An introduction to photography would do well to include some illustrations, whereas a book on meditation could probably do fine with few, if any, images. Another example is Gray's Anatomy, which would probably be more challenging to consume if there were no illustrations.

Some subjects such as learning a martial art can be helped by using pictures/illustrations, but realistically when used as the only source of knowledge fall short of adequately communicating proficiency in said martial art, where only in-person instruction would really suffice.

Re:Memex is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed by quickthrower2 on Sunday August 06, 2023 @07:14AM (#37020812)
The diagram is a thinking tool, or a supplement to written text, but not the whole thing.
Re:Memex is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed by hermanradtke on Sunday August 06, 2023 @07:15AM (#37020820)
The import from URL feature on Google docs is perfect for importing mermaid.live diagrams to accompany the text. A mermaid.live URL contains the complete diagram state, which allows anyone to follow the original URL, make modifications and update the Google doc.
Re:Memex is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed by metaphor on Sunday August 06, 2023 @07:50AM (#37021012)
That's a hard sell for those who work in companies that prohibit dependencies on free 3rd-party web services to discuss business confidential ideas in an unsecure way.
Re:Memex is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed by ivanhoe on Sunday August 06, 2023 @08:18AM (#37021181)
Text is for details, diagrams are to quickly communicate the whole idea in a single place. IMHO every complex-enough project needs both.