Ditto Screencast - a step in the right direction

I was very pleased to see a Ditto Screencast, because I have spent a lot of time swearing while trying to get Ditto to work, so any help is a big bonus.  Even if I try to replicate what’s in my stock install, or make something in the Ditto site, I’ll forget that cache settings need to be exactly right, the templates have to be exactly right, oops, wrong article number as root, on and on.  It’s like a hand grenade, extremely powerful, but extremely sensitive, and won’t necessarily do what you’re hoping for. 

So I watched the screencast.  Parts of it were truly helpful.  But Mark goes as fast as he thinks, and doesn’t let you catch up.  He doesn’t know that he’s smarter than I am.  When he mumbled the name of a parameter, I stopped it, backed up, and put the vid to full screen.  Of course, that didn’t help, because it just made a huge grainy picture.  I finally figured out the variable name by messing around with my stock install again.  I may have actually done better not watching the video, I guess.

So please, pretty please, maybe go just slightly slower, and spell out variable names that are invisible on the vid, and anything to help boneheads like me.  I don’t want to discourage you... having vid tutorials is a fantastic idea, especially for something very complex like Ditto. 

Thanks!

Edit: Ah, I see by the response that I’m wasting my time offering suggestions... that’s cool. I’ll just manage on my own. Ciao.

So you’re saying you can do a better video, huh! DO IT!

woah mrhaw - you are as sensitive as Ditto LOL. Take a pill man. Suggestions are the only way to make anything better. I certainly hope other ModX people around here don’t have the same attitude as you. Of course in time we learn who the losers are and just skip over YOUR posts.

ModX rocks and so does this community (well most of it)

I apologize to Samba for this and hope he see scottishbullet message.

My intention is not being a brat head and I am thankful for the admonition.

More screencasts would rock. There are some on you tube (links in the wiki) and there are even some for Revolution. I don’t have the talent for screencasts but I hope that as modx continues to get more and more popular that more screencasts will be available.

I know that there are a few modx tutorial sites being developed, maybe we will get more screencasts.

I’m glad to see more screencasts coming online and many people love them but I, for one, would much rather see the screencast converted to a printed tutorial with lots of screen shots. I can see the variable names, go through the material at my own pace, cut-and-paste from the tutorial to my code, and check in later to refresh my memory without sitting through the whole cast.

Better yet, the tutorial, unlike a screencast, can easily be improved, corrected, and updated over time.

Just my $.02.

I tend to agree with Bob ... screencasts are great as demos and for deciding if you want to use a tool in general. Tutorials and documentation are perfect for the learning side of the equation. I definitely concur more screencasts are needed too!