When you want to find out something about a subject, you’re generally in search of exactly one of the two different types of resources:
- Explanations, which describe the subject for an audience that is assumed to be unfamiliar with the topic
- References, which describe the subject in dense (and often cryptic) detail, and assume an audience with some expertise in the topic
Using the wrong type of resource will be an exercise in frustration. Even more frustrating will be to deal with a resource that straddles the two types badly. The most common example of this is the explanation that trails off into a reference because its author grew tired of explaining (which is quite difficult) and opted to infodump instead. (Wikipedia, I’m looking at you.)
