Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

For me, an example is worth 10 pages of documentation. The documentation is good for reference but only after you understand the ideas behind it.

One of the biggest criteria I have for using a library is whether they have a rich set of examples to draw from.




Conversely, after the initial struggle getting the ideas behind it, examples are worthless and documentation is king.


Sometimes. Examples are good at giving concrete working code to use as a basis but they only express a few ideas. Documentation will let you understand the different pieces so you can build what you like.

Both are beneficial for different scenarios. I find I use examples much more often but when examples fail, documentation is necessary.


Good documentation has tons of examples! For me the gold documentation is jQuery. When I didn't know enough JS the beginning was cryptical but the examples below made it, when I was experienced I could just read the beginning for the footprint.




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: