[Zope] A typical Zope problem

[Chris Cioffi]

I know this is a common complaint, but I just found a particularly nasty
example:

On the download page (http://www.zope.org/Products) I am encouraged to
download and install the latest Hotfix, currently dated 3/8/2001.  Looking
at the link to more Zope fixes and the readme for this latest Zope hotfix I
am told that this is important and should install right away.  Fine.
Nowhere am I given a link to instructions on HOW to install this hotfix.  I
don't care how easy it is to install a hotfix, please give me some
documentation on what to do with this .tgz file I'm getting.

I'm trying to learn Zope and the Zope way.  However, for a product with a
version of 2.3 to have such poorly organized documentation is just amazing.
I know Zope has some really great documentation out there... And that's the
problem, the documentation is just "out there" and to find it I have to luck
out and find a link right to it, or read through dozens of pages that
mention, but don't address the question I have.

Zope is billed as a great content managment system/framework, but Zope.org
site seems more a poster child for a content _publishing_ system.
Management of that content is sorely lacking.

I had to pass over Zope for other products twice in the last month, largely
due to poor documentation:  I knew Zope could do it, I just can't find any
decent material on how.  The Zope tutorial and Zope Book just say that
development is possible but don't go into the details of developing Zope
applications.  (We won't go near Products...)  I know I have the source,
great, will you pay my salary for the next 2 months while I get a grip on
that?  I don't have time otherwise.  I'm able to spend a little time
learning, but the cost/benefit equation is making me think that Zope just
isn't ready for prime time, which is a shame since I looks like Zope could
provide a quantum leap foreward in making the web the platform of choice.

I know this sounds just like a whiny complaint, but this is a complaint born
out of a frustration at seeing what I think is a really great platform being
relegated to a niche because the documentation isn't well organized.

Chris