Wanted help in modernizing the Stella manual

[+stephena]

I'm looking for help in modernizing the Stella manual, making it look nicer as well as improving the layout, readability, etc. I know documentation is not something a lot people like to work on, but I'm hoping there's at least a few aspiring tech writers here. The main issue is that the current document is a single HTML file that's over 140KB! Ideally I'd like some of the following:

• break the document up into multiple files (chapters per topic, etc)
  
• improve the look with CSS, better fonts, etc
  
• improve the readability, looking at it from a users POV and see if it actually explains things
  
• improve the layout, again from a users POV, to make sure the more advanced topics aren't being presented when they aren't needed
  
• any other issues/problems that might need to be fixed
  

I understand that this is a fairly big undertaking, and I appreciate any help anyone can provide. My only absolute condition is that the manual has to be static (no PHP, etc), as it will be viewed on client systems that don't have a web server installed. I can't offer any payment for this. I can only consider this as a Stella donation, and credit you in the Credits list.

 

Please let me know if you're willing to take a stab at this.

[Emehr]

Would something like this work? The color scheme is influenced by the actual Stella dialog boxes, just toned down a little.

 

I typically avoid pull-down menus on websites because, frankly, I greatly dislike them from a users-perspective.

 

This would be my plan:

- Put the content of Requirements and Installation under the "Getting Started" page

- Put the content of Locating Game Images (ROMS) under the "Acquiring Games" page

- Put the content of Playing a Game and Keyboard Layout and Controller Map under the "Stella Interface" page

 

The "Advanced" page would probably have a the menu on the left-hand side (where I have the blurbs and acknowledgements on the main page) for quick navigation. Will likely have to split Advanced into a few pages.

 

I would need to peruse the manual a bit deeper from a design perspective to figure out the scope of the project before I could commit to it (with your blessing, of course), but at a quick glance this looks like it could be fun.

 

[+stephena]

This actually looks really nice, and I agree with your ideas. Let me know if you're interested in taking this on. Even if you don't have time to do it, I'd still appreciate a description of the breakdown, CSS, etc (although obviously I won't complain if you want to do it all yourself )

[Emehr]

PM sent