Explanation

[iplayfast]

Your readme.md is very detailed in what is used to build it, how to build it, who built it and so on. The one thing that it's lacking (because developers are always self absorbed in their project) is an explanation of what it does, why you built it, what it accomplishes.

For example it's one thing to say it tracks who you've been near who as covid-19, but it also says (according to https://digital.canada.ca/2020/07/31/continuously-improving-covid-alert/?fbclid=IwAR2C2zh9Nl1OltFEATlQP9asNN7cANd2akhwbfm5uM37buyUX9GN2Kx9CeQ ) it doesn't use gps, or track your location.

To me the two ideas conflict. Perhaps you can explain, as this app on the surface appears to be a big invasion of privacy how it's not an invasion of privacy and how (in general) it works.

[andrew-from-toronto]

The store listings explain this succinctly already. The readme on this repo is exactly what you would expect to find on any other open source project. I agree that it could also include the info you're requesting, but it's quite amusing you think insulting the developers as the most appropriate way to get your point across.

[iplayfast]

Wasn't an insult. I came to this project from a news article and wanted to know more about it in general. Being a developer myself, I realize that sometimes I just assume others know what I'm talking about. I think that's the case here. Most projects readme's have a line that says what it is. This project's overview says how it's built. Two totally different things.

[pronoiac]

I'm up for moving most of the current README.md into, say, DEVELOP.md and having the bulk of README.md be a copy of the app store descriptions. Not that I'm a contributor yet.

@iplayfast, the bit about "self absorbed" is slightly impolite, depending on the audience, I think.

[iplayfast]

Ah. I suppose "self absorbed" could be interpreted as an insult. Didn't mean it that way. I just know when I'm eyeballs deep in a project I am self absorbed, and have a hard time viewing from others viewpoints about the project.

[timarney]

For what it's worth we're listening and definitely attempting to look at things from as many viewpoints as possible.

We'll triage this and go from there :)

https://digital.canada.ca

[obrien-j]

I'm just going to drop in this repo here, which wasn't in most of the media announcement, but is more in line with your original questions.

https://github.com/cds-snc/covid-alert-documentation/

I'm also going to move this over there, where we'll be triaging non-app/server specific issues and questions.

No harm, no foul. We're admittedly all pretty absorbed in this project, and we do appreciate any feedback to make it easier for folks to understand, and especially as it relates to privacy, and peoples trust and confidence in the service.

[obrien-j]

@iplayfast Did you want to take a crack at a more descriptive title, or would you mind if I did?

It'll help make it more identifiable while triaging through the issues list.

[obrien-j]

Closing due to the lack of activity in the absence of a stalebot to do it for me. I've open up the discussions tab in line with #31 so feel free to pose any questions/ideas over there if you still have any outstanding