Writing Posts "Publish Box" codex needs revision

My first install of WP wound up getting trashed and I had to start over. In the interim, I found myself extremely confused with the options/features in writing my first post, as ‘encouraged’ by the initial install.

This time, I decided to precede my install with some reading of WP docs like “First Steps…” etc. One of the most important links is to

https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Writing_Posts

However, the description under the paragraph heading Publish box does not now conform or describe accurately this most essential process in v3.3.1, that I know had me dumbfounded before reading the text following my second install, and before making any posts.

For instance, the form’s links and buttons under Publish on the right side of the form are as follows:

Status: Draft Edit >
> [OK, Cancel]
Visibility: Public Edit >
> [radio button] Public
> [check box] Stick this post to the front page
> [radio button] Password protected >
> Password: [edit box]
> [radio button] Private
> [normal button]OK > [click as link>] Cancel
Publish immediately Edit >
> Publish immediately
> [select date and time]
> [normal button]OK > [click as link>] Cancel

The conceptualization is now different and is not accurately described as currently written in the Publish Box section of “Writing Posts.”

As this WP beginner, but with two decades of computer use and the influence of its various cultures inform me (or prejudice me ;), yes, the conceptualization is still about “buttons that control the state of your post.”

However, the codex reads that the main states are “Published, Pending Review, and Draft.” However, that is not what is immediately apparent, and one only discovers that by exploring each of the edit links and exploring each of the option thus revealed. Yes, the user needs to explore these, but the Codex needs to make sure that it conforms precisely to the current design of the controls. One wrong move and the user is headed in the wrong direction. I know that I experienced this repeatedly.

What the Codex needs to describe most explicitly, IMO, is what the link to the right of Publish immediately will offer and potentially accomplish, and the difference between that and the large blue “Publish” button just below and to the right.

This most essential function should be as simple as possible and as clear as possible for the new user, and without the Codex section describing process for the “Publish box,” I’m still not clear on the process. Yes, I’ve made some progress, but this essential function needs explicit, crystal clear descriptions in the Codex.

Hopefully, now that I’m reading – very carefully – the codex, I’ll have a better experience. But I don’t feel as confident as I would like, due to my frustrating experience yesterday.

In contrast, I have decided to explore WP after trying Drupal for a few months and reading about others. I find that both the design of WP and the vibrant community appear to make WP stand out at the top of the market for this software. I hope that my sense of WP’s appearance is confirmed by my actual experience, especially now that “I’m reading the manual ;)” But the manual needs some editing…

Thank you for such a potentially powerful and aesthetically appealing software.