Date: Fri, 02 Apr 1999 14:55:40 -0800 From: Nocturne <dpilgrim@uswest.net> To: junkmale@xtra.co.nz Cc: advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: The FreeBSD Installation Guide Project [Was: Re: FreeBSD Advocacy] Message-ID: <37054AEC.B908B436@uswest.net> References: <19990402221601.IZOP5454377.mta1-rme@wocker>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Dan Langille wrote: > > On 2 Apr 99, at 13:53, Nocturne wrote: > > > The thing that made installing FreeBSD easier for me was having a > > printed walk through (from Greg's book) at my side. Online docks are > > good, but they're a little hard to get at in the middle of an install. > > Perhaps a shorter version of TCF included with every CD set might be a > > good idea? Something that doesn't explain what you're doing, just tells > > you what to do to get a working install. The explanations can come later. > > I know my first install would have been much easier had I had Greg's book. > > > This is something that I could actually work on, so here I go: > > > > FreeBSD Installation Guide Project > > > > We need: > > Web space for a home site and a person (or two) to make the pages. > > I can give you webspace. Most excellent, thanks, but I like Donald's idea of having all the doc projects hosted at the same site. > > People with working knowledge of how to setup a basic LAN (NAT, > > routed/gated, DNS, ipfw, ppp) to work with dialup or DSL/cable. > > Proof-readers to make sure the information has as few knowledge > > pre-requisites as possible. > > All of this is already in The FreeBSD Diary. Have a look and see if it's > up to scratch. The information is all well written, and simple to understand for the most part, but you're explaining what you did instead of showing the steps. Plus, it's making assumptions that the reader already knows how to get to the files and information you refer to: You say something like, "I put these lines in /etc/rc.conf..." My original idea is to have it written like, "At the # prompt type... go to this line in the file and type..." Unless folks think it would be too dry for newcomers (which is why I want newcomers to be the proof-readers). It should be understandable by someone with no unix skills at all. Imagine a newbie installing FreeBSD for the first time. Part of the installation requires them to edit a .conf file. The CFBSD or Handbook says which file to edit and explains what they have to change, but says nothing about the commands they have to do to find and open the file. CFBSD has the vi man page, but how's the newbie going to know it's there and what it is unless there's a reference to it? -- dpilgrim@uswest.net /\ / __ Our lies are merely the gryph@mindless.com / \/OC/URNE truth of another world ICQ: 29880099 Death is not a kill -9, just a DALnet: anim0s make world and shutdown -r now PGPKey available To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?37054AEC.B908B436>