# About the documentation

> {material-regular}`format_quote;2em`
>
> The Grand Unified Theory of Documentation
>
> <p class="attribution">-David Laing</p>

There is a secret that needs to be understood in order to write good software
documentation: there isn't one thing called *documentation*, there are four.

They are: *tutorials*, *how-to guides*, *technical reference* and *explanation*.
They represent four different purposes or functions, and require four different
approaches to their creation. Understanding the implications of this will help
improve most documentation - often immensely.

[More information on this topic.](https://documentation.divio.com)