Re: Can't tell the difference in operation between PATH_SCRIPT and NO_PATH_SCRIPT

[Roman Perepelitsa <roman.perepelitsa@gmail.com>]

On Fri, Jan 26, 2024 at 8:43 PM Ray Andrews <rayandrews@eastlink.ca> wrote:
>
> They are indispencible in the same way that the blueprints of a nuclear power station are indicpencible

Exactly, zsh documentation is a nuclear power station blueprints.
Transforming it into a basic physics tutorial would dilute its
effectiveness as a specialized blueprint. For foundational knowledge,
there are plenty of resources on the basics of physics.

On Fri, Jan 26, 2024 at 8:52 PM Steve Dondley <s@dondley.com> wrote:
>
> [...] instead of just dropping ZDOTDIR on my head like I already
> knew what it was, it could instead say:
>
> On most systems,, a user’s zsh configuration files are kept in
> their $HOME directory by default. If you wish to store these
> modules in a different location, this can be modified by setting
> the value of the ZDOTDIR parameter to a directory path of your
> choosing. For example, if you wish your user to follow the XDG
> specification, you might set the value to $HOME/.config/zsh.
> Typically, this value is set in the /some/config/file configuration
> file but consult your OS’s manual for details.
>
> This is a much gentler way of introducing this variable to me.

I agree that your version would be better for someone unfamiliar with
this concept. But can you see that it might be less efficient for
someone who already understands it? And consider where to draw the
line with foundational explanations. Should we also explain what $HOME
is, what a directory means, or what 'consult' implies?

I understand it's frustrating to read something you're not yet
familiar with. This happens with any technical text. The documentation
works well for those at a certain knowledge level. You can get to that
level too, but you might need to learn from other sources first.

Roman.