Where is the documentation? Where is the manual?

[jshuler]

Hello all.

 

Where is the documentation for this software?

 

The only link I can find says "iReport Manual - An introduction to iReport, the manual is a bit outdated."

 

Right... so where is the up-to-date documentation?

 

Oracle Reports and Crystal reports come with help files. Where is the help file???

When I click on help, I am directed to a sales pitch for some book. I don't want a book, I want documentation!

 

 

I'm looking for something like this:

MySQL - http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/index.html

 

Apache - http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/

 

Tomcat - http://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-6.0-doc/index.html

 

PHP - http://www.php.net/manual/en/

 

Redhat Linux - http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/

 

Oracle database - http://www.oracle.com/pls/db102/homepage

 

Oracle Reports - http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B19375_07/doc/frs/reports/B13895_01/toc.htm

 

Crystal reports - http://support.businessobjects.com/documentation/product_guides/default.asp

 

Everything Microsoft - http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

 

Adobe Flash - http://livedocs.adobe.com/flash/9.0/UsingFlash/

 

 

 

Am I missing something?

 

Thanks!

-Jason

[svenn]

You missing the sticky at the top of the forum called "iReport Documentation" ;).

 

It worth it to spring for the Jasper Report guide. I'm not sure about the latest iReport guide. The last one I got was not great but things could have improved.

 

Other then that try the sample examples and read the forums

[Giulio Toffoli]

This is to get started:

 

http://www.jasperforge.org/jaspersoft/opensource/business_intelligence/ireport/page.php?id=5

 

This is an old guide, but the main concepts (at least until the chapter 5) are all still valid and can help to get started.

 

http://www.jasperforge.org/sf/wiki/do/viewPage/projects.ireport/wiki/IReportManualV1.2.1

 

Finally the official documentation page is:

 

http://www.jasperforge.org/jaspersoft/opensource/business_intelligence/ireport/page.php?id=8

 

bye

 

Giulio

[jshuler]

Why is there no manual aside from a book that must be purchased?

 

The last time I paid for a manual was before the internet was available.

 

I could see if this was trialware or shareware, but this is free (as in speech) software... There should be a free version of the documentation (that is up to date).

 

I'll pay for support if needed, but not basic documentation. Sheesh.

[Giulio Toffoli]

jshuler I prefer don't respond to your message...

 

But I would prefer to invite you to give some of your free time to this project writing some freely available documentation. I always look for contributors, so since you are getting something for free, why don't return something to the project for free as well?

 

Let me know if you like the idea, I'll more that happy to help you in learning the ropes of ireport in change of some not-completely trivial tutorials to put on the ireport documentation page and help other people like you.

 

What do you think?

 

Thanks

 

Giulio

[svenn]

I'll reply. jshuler do you work for free? I expect you don't and neither do I. Yet you expect the guys that work on this project to give everything away. I mean come on. The Jasper manual cost 50 dollars.

 

People think that because something is open source that everything should be free. Look at a professional reporting package. The cost are in the thousands of dollars.

 

I think it's great that people have been able to take something that was open source and create a business out of it.

[jshuler]

svenn wrote:

I'll reply. jshuler do you work for free? I expect you don't and neither do I. Yet you expect the guys that work on this project to give everything away. I mean come on. The Jasper manual cost 50 dollars. People think that because something is open source that everything should be free. Look at a professional reporting package. The cost are in the thousands of dollars. I think it's great that people have been able to take something that was open source and create a business out of it.

 

It depends on the work :)

 

$50 is a lot of money to be able to even evaluate a piece of software - commercial or Open Source.

 

 

I have no problem with monetizing open source by offering things like "Jasper Reports Professional" -- you are aware that this exists, right? JasperSoft offers commercial versions of all their software -- or by paying for support.

 

 

I'm not asking for a guide with pictures and how-tos and callouts. I'm looking for a basic operating manual .

 

Once I have decided to use the product, after evaluating it, and evaluating the quality of the documentation -- then I start opening the pocketbook. How am I supposed to evaluate the documentation? How do I evaluate the product if there is no up-to-date manual?

[jshuler]

giulio wrote:

... Let me know if you like the idea, I'll more that happy to help you in learning the ropes of ireport in change of some not-completely trivial tutorials to put on the ireport documentation page and help other people like you. ...

 

How am I to learn the ropes without having access to the documentation?

 

Suppose I purchase the manual, and decide to use my knowledge to provide free documentation. Would this not be a violation of intellectual property?

 

Normally, manuals are distributed using the same license as the software itself - I'm assuming this is not the case.

 

 

So, the only up-to-date documentation that exists for this software is using a proprietary license under restrictive copyrights. Any free documentation produced after its publication (whether based on it or not) is by very nature going duplicate the basic concepts of this commercial product, and could be considered a violation.

 

 

 

Do you see the problem? By making the only documentation a commercial product, JasperSoft has the right to prevent any free documentation from being released on the grounds of copyright infringement.

 

 

I would love to help, but I do not see how it is possible. Please, correct me if I am wrong!

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Edit:

I waste my own words, when apparently this is an issue throughout the OS community:

 

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-doc.html

 

 

 

I apologize for bringing this all up. I appreciate the work involved in creating such an impressive and feature-packed product.

If the currently out-of-date documentation is in wiki format (aka user modifiable), then I would be happy to work on bringing it up to date for you as I work with it; although I'm still unclear on the copyright concerns.

Post edited by: jshuler, at: 2008/02/29 14:50