Created a GitHub App to connect codebases and wikis - not going great!
The Link: https://github.com/marketplace/scribe-connect
How it works
All you have to do is paste the document URL into your code file and they are now connected. On every PR it will alert you to any relevant and potentially outdated documents.
Why
I've been working on a wiki called Scribe (https://scribe.wiki) for some time which is focused on the maintenance, i.e. how do you keep content fresh and up to date over time. I really think that it can be a lot better than existing wikis (e.g. Confluence, Slite, ect) and lower the barrier to having a highly functional knowledge base, but at the end of the day it's mainly making what you could already do much with existing solutions much easier.
This GitHub app is my first experiment to see if the software community is interested in really making documentation a first class citizen in a project. Is there the potential to make a wiki built for software teams thats very different from what currently exists?
How it's doing so far
I posted it on hacker news, twitter, ect but it hasn't been installed once. I'm curious if that's due to the messaging around it, or if it's just not something people need. Would be curious to hear opinions!
Which problem are you trying to solve? What did people say about the product?
The problem: Documentation becoming outdated and forgotten
The test: Allowing software teams to bring documentation into their release pipeline, essentially bringing it front of mind.
Honestly the more I think about the problem the more unsure I become. I feel like its still too general, people have that problem but I'm probably only helping fix one aspect of it...
As for what people said, I haven't gotten any feedback, I had one person that said he would pay 15 a month for something like this but he also hasn't gotten around to trying it.
Part of the reason I made it was also to check if there was any interest around the idea of connecting code files and full fledged wikis, but I think this was perhaps a poorly thought out test
Well, okay, but I think there are several issues. First of all, I suspect your message is not clear - at least it was not clear for me, what you are doing. Secondly, the way how you solve the problem is not as easy as it should be. I saw "install something" or "embed" and it sounded overkill for this problem. Many frameworks already have their own mechanics to document the code, it's free and easy - you don't need to install anything, just provide comment in the right format.
So, maybe the problem is how you actually solve it. Also, the "wiki" word can be wrong here because it may associate with the online library, encyclopedia, etc. but not with the documentation. I would never user wiki for this goal.
Hope it helps!
I see, that's really useful feedback! What word would you use instead of wiki?
I suspect part of the problem too is that developers are the target audience and they don't see the problem/the upside to having documentation not all in code. Maybe I need to make it clearer what the benefits are for connecting a knowledge base (e.g. Confluence, Basecamp) with a code file? And also what you might use it for?
For instance while many frameworks have mechanics to document the code that's usually only good for why a particular function/block of code is written a certain way or what it does. It's not so good for writing how-to guides or explaining why a module/multiple modules was architected a particular way. It also just gives you a nice out for not having to smother the code with comments that really don't belong there.
Perhaps another problem too is that most people have never really used a GitHub app before? So it's a bit of a leap of faith for people, where in reality it's actually only about 5 clicks to set up (I wouldn't even know how to make this much easier).
Sorry I know that's a bit to respond to!
The word describing your product most precise.
I'm afraid I don't understand you :(
I think so... as a developer I have never connected the code/code docs to these management tools and I don't know which benefits I would have. You always should emphasize the benefits the end user would get.
If your tool is good for how-to guidelines you have to describe how and give an example.
I have never been in this situation so I can't say anything.
Well, may be. I worked with Github pretty tightly but don't use their apps. Again, you need to explain clear (maybe provide a video) to explain why we would use it. I have to understand why I would do those 5 clicks.
Hope, it helps!
Posting on HN or Twitter is not necessarily good to validate your idea. You should read this article https://stackingthebricks.com/dont-launch-product-hunt/.
Interesting, I might try and find communities for docops (all about agile documentation) and post there