The need to know: Linux and documentation

The visibility of the source code is an essential element of Linux and free software, but reading the source is not always the best way to discover what the coder intended – which is not always the same as what the code actually does. Good documentation is vital for users, initiates, wannabe programmers, contributors, and those that just want to get involved, not to mention those who have (or think they have) forgotten more than the rest of us will ever know – for, as the philosopher of Springfield, Homer Simpson, once said:

“Every time I learn something new it pushes some old stuff out of my brain.”