[DeborahWrites]

Thanks for pointing this out. The post starts from the assumption that people have at least heard of "docs like code", because it's a widely-used term/practice in tech writing. So I was aiming at tech writers who heard the term, but lacked the knowledge to use the technique (original draft of the post was in response to a less technical tech writer asking me a ton of questions)

But perhaps I need to explain this up top, rather than hoping people will hang in there until the explanatory section.

[lproven]

> it's a widely-used term/practice in tech writing

But it's not. You have got the key phrase wrong!

It's Docs as Code.

There are whole websites devoted to it:

https://docsascode.org/

Not "like": As -- meaning, "create docs as you create code", meaning "using the same tools and methods."

There is a good strong evidence that your version is inferior: the dozens of comments in this thread by people baffled by the phrase, or pointing out its flawed construction.

It's the Docs As Code approach, _NOT_ "docs like code".

https://docascod.github.io/howto/#/

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=rafaelmn...

https://www.synesthesia.co.uk/tag/docsascode/

[kyawzazaw]

Yup, Docs as Code is the more well-known phrase.

https://www.writethedocs.org/guide/ See

Approaches to creating documentation Docs as Code Docs as Code at Write the Docs Docs as Code at other conferences, video casts and articles DocOps What is DocOps, anyway? Who practices DocOps? DocOps resources

[johnathandos]

This really depends on where you first encountered the term. Anne Gentle wrote Docs Like Code, the first book I read on this topic 8 years ago. I always consider the terms "docs as code" and "docs like code" to be interchangeable, and usually use both when discussing the topic with an audience that includes a wide variety of different individuals. I think "docs as code" is probably used more in purely dev circles due to the proliferation of the "everything-as-code" construction seen in other dev-adjacent disciplines (infra-as-code, config-as-code, etc.)

[lproven]

FWIW, I was first taught this approach at Red Hat in 2014. I think DaC has precedence and I've never, ever encountered DlC in my work in half a dozen companies in 4 or 5 countries.

I am not saying you're wrong. I'm merely reporting my own experience.