Re: Documentation hiding
Roedy Green wrote...
Oracle has been pulling documentation off the Sun website and giving
it strange new URLs to make it hard to find the new docs.
Do you have *any* shred of evidence that that's the purpose?
e.g.
// used to be:
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/extra/regex/quant.html
// now:
http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17409_01/javase/tutorial/essential/regex/quant.html
Mike Schilling wrote:
The Java serialization specification, for instance, is now hidden at
http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17476_01/javase/1.5.0/docs/guide/serialization/spec/serialTOC.html
. I was able to find it only by using the obscure technique of googling
for Java serialization specification.
For months now, Oracle has warned us:
"Oracle is reviewing the Sun product roadmap and will provide guidance to
customers in accordance with Oracle's standard product communication policies.
Any resulting features and timing of release of such features as determined by
Oracle's review of roadmaps, are at the sole discretion of Oracle. All product
roadmap information, whether communicated by Sun Microsystems or by Oracle,
does not represent a commitment to deliver any material, code, or
functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.
It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into
any contract."
So what, we expected that meant Oracle was not going to rearrange the web site
in accordance with their standard product communication policies?
As for finding the serialization specification, you don't even need Google.
The third hit on the "search.sun.com" site itself, entering "serialization
specification" in the search box on http://java.sun.com/ itself, is
<http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/guide/serialization/spec/serialTOC.html>
which, guess what? redirects to
<http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17476_01/javase/1.5.0/docs/guide/serialization/spec/serialTOC.html>
Yeah, Oracle's trying reeeaaaal hard to hide the information when the old link
leads you right to the new one.
Just for shites and giggles I entered "tutorial regex" in the search box on
java.sun.com. The first hit is
<http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/essential/regex/>
which redirects to
<http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17409_01/javase/tutorial/essential/regex/>
Likewise,
<http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/essential/regex/quant.html>
(the very first link in a java.sun.com search for "tutorial regex quantifiers"
and the natural extension of the above link) redirects to
<http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17409_01/javase/tutorial/essential/regex/quant.html>
Hmm, that's the very link Roedy claims to be "strange" and "hard to find".
It's also the one from the "Quantifiers" anchor tag in the main regex tutorial
page.
Looks like
<http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/extra/regex/quant.html>
was an incorrect URL in the first place. Chalk that one up to operator error
rather than evil Oracle's nefarious misdeeds.
--
Lew