[ ijbswa-Feature Requests-3615122 ] Reword 'Why is the configuration so complicated?' answer

Feature Requests item #3615122, was opened at 2013-10-20 04:00
Message generated for change (Comment added) made by fabiankeil
You can respond by visiting: 
https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=361118&aid=3615122&group_id=11118

Please note that this message will contain a full copy of the comment thread,
including the initial issue submission, for this request,
not just the latest update.
Category: Documentation
Group: None
>Status: Closed
>Resolution: Fixed
Priority: 5
Private: No
Submitted By: https://www.google.com/accounts ()
Assigned to: Fabian Keil (fabiankeil)
>Summary: Reword 'Why is the configuration so complicated?'  answer

Initial Comment:
Kudos for this fantastic software!
This is just a suggestion for an edit to the user manual. I would replace this section:
3.7. Why is the configuration so complicated?
"Complicated" is in the eye of the beholder. Those that are familiar with some of the underlying concepts, such as regular expression syntax, take to it like a fish takes to water. Also, software that tries hard to be "user friendly", often lacks sophistication and flexibility. There is always that trade-off there between power vs. easy-of-use. Furthermore, anyone is welcome to contribute ideas and implementations to enhance Privoxy.

with:
3.7. Why is the configuration so complicated?
Nobody on our team has had the time and energy to create a more user-friendly configuration tool, or comprehensive beginner-level documentation. If you or anyone you know has the skills and would like to contribute to this project, please get involved. Our project page is:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa/
-END OF EDIT-
Don't you think this answer would produce a more positive result? Basically what you are saying to people now is, 'If you think the configuration is too hard, then you are too stupid for us to care about." Just because a lot software that is promoted as 'user-friendly' is poor software, doesn't mean there can't be great software that is also easy to use. Isn't that your aim?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

>Comment By: Fabian Keil (fabiankeil)
Date: 2013-11-06 08:35

Message:
The answer has been rephrased in CVS.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Comment By: Fabian Keil (fabiankeil)
Date: 2013-10-22 06:52

Message:
Thanks for the suggestion.

While I don't interpret the answer exactly the way you do, I agree that it
could be rephrased. How about this:

###
 <para>
  <quote>Complicated</quote> is in the eye of the beholder.
 </para>
 <para>
  Privoxy is currently mainly written by and for people who are already
  familiar with the underlying concepts like regular expressions, HTTP and
HTML,
  or are willing to become familiar with them to be able to get the most
  out of a powerful and flexible tool such as Privoxy.
 </para>
 <para>
  While anyone is expected to get a Privoxy default installation up
  and running, fine-tuning requires a certain amount of background
  information and Privoxy's documentation mainly concentrates on the
  Privoxy-specific parts while only providing references to the rest.
 </para>
 <para>
  If you are interested in reducing the barrier of entry, please <link
linkend="participate">get involved</link>.
 </para>
###

----------------------------------------------------------------------

You can respond by visiting: 
https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=361118&aid=3615122&group_id=11118

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November Webinars for C, C++, Fortran Developers
Accelerate application performance with scalable programming models. Explore
techniques for threading, error checking, porting, and tuning. Get the most 
from the latest Intel processors and coprocessors. See abstracts and register
http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=60136231&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk