Merge pull request #70 from nodejs/add-roadmap

add first draft of ROADMAP.md

Author: chrisdickinson

ROADMAP.md

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+# Docs WG Roadmap
+
+## Jan 2016 → Apr 2016 (Q1)
+
+This is the first of the quarterly roadmaps that this Working Group will
+produce, so it will be structured a bit differently than subsequent ones. Since
+this is a brand-new process, an explanation of **what it is** and **why it's
+necessary** follows.
+
+This roadmap outlines the priorities for the Docs working group for the
+quarter. These tasks can be as broadly or narrowly defined as is useful. They
+are not necessarily staffed — as folks step up to do the work, we'll link
+tracking issues to the tasks for them to self-organize. Every quarter we'll
+revisit this roadmap, adding a quick postmortem of how things went, and
+creating a new set of priorities for the ensuing quarter.
+
+That brings us to why a roadmap is necessary: the Node.js documentation is a
+relatively confined space to work within, and there are many interested
+parties: there are groups that consume the documentation as output, like the
+[website working group][wg-website], there are groups concerned with ensuring
+the [content addresses the needs of diverse audiences][wg-inclusivity], there are
+[groups that are required][wg-ctc] to produce API documentation as a
+pre-requisite to merging their primary work, there are contributors who wish to
+help in a _technical_ fashion, there are contributors who wish to contribute
+_editorially_, and there are the readers of the docs. All of these
+contributions overlap, so in order to make measurable progress without stepping
+on each other's feet, we have to:
+
+* **Set clear priorities** — if two contributions conflict, it should be
+  straightforward to determine which contribution should take precedence.
+* **Message these priorities well in advance** — with this many stakeholders,
+  we should mention repeatedly, loudly, and clearly what our intentions are.
+  The Docs WG should aspire to avoid surprise.
+* **Make the best use of donated time** — we want to ensure that if someone is
+  donating their time to improve the documentation, it will be well-spent, and
+  directed at driving the documentation towards this WG's [stated goals][goals].
+
+[Our goals][goals] can be summarized thusly:
+
+> Node.js should be in friendly competition for "Best Docs in OSS," with docs
+> that address the needs of a wide variety of audiences — across skill levels,
+> goals, and languages.
+
+### Tasks
+
+Tasks for this quarter were drawn from [responses to this issue][issue-roadmap].
+They are divided between three major areas:
+
+* **Content** — the actual content of the docs
+* **Features** — reader-focused features, like version metadata or autolinking.
+* **Tooling** — author-focused features, like doc linting or html generation.
+
+Since **content** is the ultimate product of this WG, it will usually be the
+highest priority. However, when **content** systemically fails audiences, it
+may point to a need for better **features** or **tooling**.
+
+**Right now, our features and tooling are lacking, and the content is suffering
+for it.**
+
+#### :one: Pulling Guides into [nodejs/node][repo-nodejs]
+
+**This is our highest priority over the next two months.**
+
+Right now the documentation is split between the [website repo][wg-website] and
+the [core repo][wg-ctc]. We wish to bring the [guide documentation][guide-docs]
+into the core repo.
+
+The existing [node doctool][ref-doctool] is specifically built to _only_
+generate API docs. Until we can build the guide docs with Node.js' `make doc`
+command, guide documentation will be copied from the website repo into the core
+repo, but not *removed* from the website repo.
+
+As a result, we are investigating using [remark][ref-remark] to build the
+docs. The stages of this project are as follows:
+
+1. Use remark to build just the guides alongside the existing doctool.
+2. Remove the guides from the website repository.
+3. Identify and install the necessary remark plugins to faithfully render the
+   API documentation.
+4. Generate all documentation using remark. Fix lint issues pointed out by
+   `remark-lint`.
+5. Once no linting issues remain, wire up docs linting as part of Node.js'
+   `make test`.
+
+Once this project is complete, all doc style rules will be handled by remark,
+which includes line lengths, code samples (via eslint), markdown bullet and
+emphasis styles, and link checking. We will have a solid basis on which to add
+spelling and grammar checkers in the future, making it easier to maintain the
+docs going forward.
+
+##### Subtasks
+
+Want to pitch in? Look here! If someone's already working on the task, see
+if they need help.
+
+* Identifying Remark plugins — **@qard**, others! [nodejs/docs#61](https://github.com/nodejs/docs/issues/61)
+* Initial Remark integration — **@qard** [nodejs/node#4866](https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/4866)
+* Codify linting rules
+  * Apply linting rules across API docs
+* HTML layout for guide docs
+* HTML layout update for API docs to include refs to guide docs
+
+#### :two: Guide and Topic Docs
+
+A _very_ close second to the work on the documentation tooling is the work on
+identifying and creating new guides and topic documentation. These two terms
+come up a lot, to clarify what they mean, here's an except from our [getting
+started][ref-getting-started] guide:
+
+> 1. **Guide** documents explain processes to help the reader learn a concept
+> in service of their larger goal. Usually a guide has the reader build
+> something — a little webserver, or CLI — and explains the concept it's trying
+> to convey using examples from the readers experience with that code. Guides
+> are great for introducing new concepts in a comfortable way, by letting the
+> reader "simulate" the process of what development will be like using those
+> concepts.
+> 2. **Topic** documents explain concepts to help the reader make a decision.
+> They are a great place for "deep dive" information, and to handle anything
+> that's fairly intricate.
+> 3. **Reference** documents explain capabilities to help the reader achieve
+> their goal. API documentation is the primary example of this.
+
+Node.js currently has **reference** documentation, but because of the lack of
+**topic** and **guide** documentation, it ends up having to repeat itself a
+lot. Sometimes the lack of a dedicated place for this kind of documentation
+means that reference docs will attempt to include guides or topic docs inline —
+this usually doesn't end up working well in the long run.
+
+The Docs WG has identified and created a few guides already, some of which are
+the subject of the [first](#one-pulling-guides-into-nodejsnode) task.
+*However*, we need help filling in the gaps — both in identifying needed docs,
+as well as in executing on them.
+
+It's important to note that this documentation applies as much to topics
+*internal* to the project as it does to our externally facing API — we need
+guides and overviews for the architecture of Node, as well as how to
+collaborate on the project.
+
+##### Subtasks
+
+Want to pitch in? Look here! If someone's already working on the task, see
+if they need help.
+
+* Overviews:
+  * "Encoding", to be used by the Buffer and FS docs.
+  * "Blocking vs. non-blocking."
+  * Syscall documentation, to be used primarily by FS, but throughout the codebase.
+  * Internal: Node.js Architecture — **@eljefedelrodeodeljefe** [#71](https://github.com/nodejs/docs/issues/71)
+  * Internal: Initialization process — **@thealphanerd** [#73](https://github.com/nodejs/docs/issues/73)
+  * Internal: Timers
+  * Internal: Event loop — **@DavidTPate** [#74](https://github.com/nodejs/docs/issues/74)
+  * Internal: Signals
+  * Internal: Docs WG Process — **@chrisdickinson**
+* Guides:
+  * Internal: New Collaborator guide — **@nodejs/inclusivity**, **@ashleygwilliams** [nodejs/inclusivity#96](https://github.com/nodejs/inclusivity/issues/96)
+  * Internal: Move "cutting releases" into these guides — **@thealphanerd** [#75](https://github.com/nodejs/docs/issues/75)
+  * Streams: For Authors
+  * Streams: For Consumers — **@bengl**
+  * Walkthroughs for each module
+* Reference:
+  * Glossary of terms, to be used by all docs.
+  * Streams: remove guide content from API doc once guides have been written.
+  * Streams: Descriptive spec — **@nodejs/streams** [nodejs/readable-stream#181](https://github.com/nodejs/readable-stream/issues/181)
+* Identifying other docs to create 
+
+#### :three: Improving API Metadata
+
+One of the most common requests we've received is that the API docs start
+including relevant version information alongside methods. This information
+should include the version the API was introduced in, when it was last changed,
+and when it was deprecated, if applicable. Second to that, we've received
+requests to automatically link types of parameters to the appropriate MDN or
+Node.js documentation sections, and note what (if any) errors an API will
+generate, and how it will propagate them.
+
+This points to the need to standardize tooling around this metadata, and then
+execute against that tooling.
+
+This task should track the work being done in task #1 — that is to say, this
+metadata should be tracked by remark plugins in as much as is possible.
+
+##### Subtasks
+
+* Per-section YAML — **@qard**, **@tflanagan** [nodejs/node#3867](https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3867)
+* Noting 'version introduced' on each API — **@tflanagan**
+  * Ideally this should link to the CHANGELOG for that release.
+* Standardizing API method signature documentation
+  * Type annotation — **@fansworld-claudio** [nodejs/node#4741](https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/4741)
+    * (This will have to be brought into the Remark work as well.)
+  * Error generation
+* Automatically linking `syscall(2)`-format terms to the appropriate docs.
+* Allow authors to pick a simpler anchor for headings in addition to the
+  autogenerated anchor.
+
+### Notably Missing
+
+There are a few things notably missing from this list — this is not because
+they are not important to us, but because we are primarily constrained by time
+and the size of the content we are working within. Foremost among the missing
+pieces is an internationalization strategy. This task cannot be approached
+lightly, and will likely include touching *all* of the docs in a single PR.
+While we welcome discussion on how to approach this issue, we will not be
+executing on it until after March 2016. Likewise, search is an extant issue
+that we do not have the resources to work on at present.
+
+### Pitching In
+
+If you would like to help out with the Docs, you can:
+
+* Find a subtask above and raise your hand on the associated issue or create
+  an issue on the [docs issue tracker][docs-tracker].
+* Raise your hand [here][weekly-review] to help with the weekly docs review
+  load.
+
+[docs-tracker]: https://github.com/nodejs/docs/issues/new
+[goals]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/master/WORKING_GROUPS.md#documentation
+[guide-docs]: https://github.com/nodejs/nodejs.org/tree/master/locale/en/docs/guides
+[issue-roadmap]: https://github.com/nodejs/docs/issues/59
+[ref-doctool]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/tree/master/tools/doc
+[ref-getting-started]: ./GETTING-STARTED.md
+[ref-remark]: https://www.npmjs.com/package/remark
+[repo-nodejs]: https://github.com/nodejs/node
+[weekly-review]: https://github.com/nodejs/docs/issues/69
+[wg-ctc]: https://github.com/nodejs/node
+[wg-inclusivity]: https://github.com/nodejs/inclusivity/
+[wg-website]: https://github.com/nodejs/nodejs.org/