Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin
Python.org Redesign Proposals due in 7 days (jessenoller.com)
52 points by jnoller on July 14, 2012 | hide | past | favorite | 11 comments


It's interesting that they're getting a redesign - I've always thought Python.org was one of the nicest, cleanest sites for an open source project.

Here's their reasoning for a redesign: http://pythonorg-redesign.readthedocs.org/en/latest/#current...


Am I correct in saying the proposals are not yet available to look at? I think I would understand the reason, but still wondered.

In any event I'm happy that python.org renews. When I wanted to learn Python and Ruby, I checked out Ruby first because the materials seemed more up to date (at the time there was no other way to prioritize and it wasn't important either.)

Can't wait to see the winner!


Copy PHP.net's format. Part of the reason PHP remains popular is its the online documentation.


How is Python's documentation any different? Do you think it's too verbose? Having used both, I'm not sure I see much of a difference aside from Python tending to document an entire module in a single page.


PHP's is just... better. Whenever I want to find something, I just google "php" plus the vague description of what I want and it's almost always the first result. When I go to the page, the first thing I see is a very succinct description of the function followed by everything I could possibly need to use it correctly, most notably a simple example.

In python what happens? I google something simple like "python add on to list" and I'm greeted with... "5. Data Structures". I mean, maybe that's what I'm looking for. I google "python current time" and the first thing on the page is "This module provides various time-related functions" at which point I have to read each function definition one by one until I find the one I want.

When I'm in the docs it's because I want to know how to do something, and I want to learn how to do it in as little time as possible so I can get back to work. Playing find the function on a module page just doesn't stand up to the first result on a google search.


Personally, i find the python documentation a little overwhelming, while i found PHP's much clearer and more straightforward, despite learning PHP first. Much easier to figure out something quickly. Its hard to pin down but if i had to i'd say it can be too verbose, there can be too much on a page, and too little white-space. I'd also like to see it more example driven.

Having said this i rarely if ever hear any criticism of the python docs from others.

E: sorry, why was stating my opinion, when sought, deserving of downvoting? If you disagree then say so-- i even stated i thought my opinion was a minority one!


I'm not sure why you were downvoted. Thanks for your honest response, though.

(Sometimes when it's hard to put into words an exact reasoning for something you feel it turns out to be worth investigating.)


Could it be that you found Python more overwhelming BECAUSE you learned PHP first?


I loathe PHP's documentation. I've written elsewhere why, but it comes down to two factors:

  - The site's colour of orange on gray is impossible for a 
    colour-blind person to read.

  - The comments are not authoritative, so you get well-meaning
    but ignorant comments that are incorrect.


Is there anything considered wrong or no longed suited to the current requirements in the present design?





Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: