ryanwold.net

A civic-minded citizen seeking the singularity

Back to Entries

Ambient Documentation

release
Date: 2015-02-07
Tags: ambient-documentation

I've noticed that many agile developers and designers shirk Documentation. Perhaps the term has developed a bad reputation from waterfall-era "Requirement Docs" that would originate far from where the products were built, and the communication throughout the process was uni-directional and sparse.

Documentation can evolve, as well.

I believe Documentation should be inherently linked and resonant for a project. For example, Documentation can represent a 1:1, very literal description of its operations, function, UI, etc. (screenshots, API docs, RDocs).

Then, there are lower-resolution, derivative perspectives of a codebase that should resonate. I like think of it as Ambient documentation. You just kinda get it for free. (Railroady, Auto_Screenshot). A visual UML diagram omits lots of information, but it can help to convey a complex domain model at a glance. Visual documentation is a greater abstraction than literal documentation.

In Railroady's case, code is written to inspect code, to generate documentation. The value of this Documentation (like a Data Model Diagram) is that it provides another perspective from which to view, share, and iterate upon. This type of documentation is a projected generated by analyzing a codebase.

I think Programmers (and especially very good ones), often underestimate the amount of brainpower and imagination they are employing when translating thousands of written lines of code, likely, in at least 2 languages, with knowledge of handfuls of libraries, behaviors, into a working mental model. How much of this mental model is shareable? Especially when it takes complete working knowledge of the system to develop a working mental model.


Also, I have Slides, in Draft

By Ryan Wold · © 2015–2026 Ryan Wold

Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. AI training requires a license — machine-readable terms.

Enjoyed this? — any BSV wallet, HandCash, or plain old dollars.

Leave a tip

Tips go directly to a Bitcoin SV address I control — peer to peer, no platform in between. A few thousand satoshis is a fraction of a cent; it's the gesture that counts.

From any BSV wallet

Scan the QR code with your wallet's camera, or copy the address.

177DwUfSTW8RkFBJzYYcgr1YB8ngbhTYAc

With HandCash or any paymail wallet

Paymail is an email-style address for Bitcoin wallets. Send any amount to afomi@handcash.io

First time using Bitcoin? Yours Wallet is an open-source browser extension wallet, and HandCash is an easy mobile wallet — either takes a minute to set up.

Prefer regular money? Support via OpenCollective.