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    Tom Johnson

    idratherbewriting.com · Personal blog · on HN since 2007

    Tom Johnson is a technical writer who covers API documentation, documentation frameworks like Diátaxis, and the effects of technology on attention.

    Visit blogRSSHN submissions
    Writing & ThinkingProgramming
    What HN says

    HN links it for documentation guidance, including his API docs course and Diátaxis overview, though one commenter says Diátaxis is not a full answer to good docs.

    Stats for nerds
    34HN people shared it
    33linked in comments
    762story points
    Sep 2025last shared
    2018people per year2025

    Top posts on HN

    1. 1
      My awakening moment about how smartphones fragment our attention span
      1 person · 552 points · first shared 2022 · 221 comments on HN
    2. 2
      How to avoid being a secretary for engineers (2018)
      1 person · 106 points · first shared 2022 · 50 comments on HN
    3. 3
      Documenting APIs
      2 people · 54 points · first shared 2022 · 6 comments on HN
    4. 4
      The Social Web is Changing Documentation
      1 person · 4 points · first shared 2009 · Discussion on HN
    5. 5
      Introduction to Influence on the Web
      1 person · 4 points · first shared 2022 · Discussion on HN
    6. 6
      Walking and Chatting with ChatGPT
      1 person · 4 points · first shared 2024 · Discussion on HN
    7. 7
      Do developers need code samples in API documentation?
      1 person · 3 points · first shared 2025 · 1 comments on HN
    8. 8
      Automate links in your release notes using AI
      1 person · 3 points · first shared 2024 · Discussion on HN
    9. 9
      Speaking Up and Calling Out BS When You See It
      1 person · 2 points · first shared 2025 · 1 comments on HN
    10. 10
      (Another) 20 usability tips for your blog
      1 person · 2 points · first shared 2007 · Discussion on HN

    What HN people wrote when they linked it

    • dansoNov 2018

      The landing page for the announcement has a little more detail: https://www.flickr.com/lookingahead/

      > Free members with more than 1,000 photos or videos uploaded to Flickr have until Tuesday, January 8, 2019, to upgrade to Pro or download content over the limit. After January 8, 2019, members over the limit will no longer be able to upload new photos to Flickr. After February 5, 2019, free accounts that contain over 1,000 photos or videos will have content actively deleted -- starting from oldest to newest date uploaded -- to meet the new limit.

      I have a Pro account so maybe it's different, but I have a "Request my Flickr data" button in the bottom right of my account page: https://www.flickr.com/account

      And unless something has changed recently, IIRC, Flickr had a very generous and fairly easy to use JSON API. In the past I've been able to bulk download my ~10,000 photos with just a few calls: https://idratherbewriting.com/learnapidoc/docapis_flickr_example.html

    • euroderfMar 2025

      There's a concept called "Every Page Is Page One": https://idratherbewriting.com/trends/trends-to-follow-or-forget-every-page-is-page-one.html

      An attempt to meet the needs of people following search engine links right into the middle of documentation.

      This is where I wonder if an A.I. could provide missing introductory context, based on the conversation that got you to the doc.

    • remoqueteJan 2025

      Diataxis gets often linked around here. It's simple, but by no means the solution to great docs. For more info, see https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/what-is-diataxis-documentation-framework

    • niutechMay 2024

      It reminds me of Snap (https://idratherbewriting.com/2007/01/17/preview-images-of-link-destinations-with-snap/).

      Aren't embedded <iframe>s blocked by X-Frame-Options or CSP?

    • firesteelrainSep 2025

      I have used MkDocs to do this in the past.

      1. https://idratherbewriting.com/learnapidoc/pubapis_static_site_generators.html

    • prashaanttJun 2022

      Heh, that’s exactly what he did here - https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/returning-to-smartphones/.

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