Creating an Admin Handbook

[Murray Stokely]

On Tue, Jul 20, 2004 at 11:34:33AM +0100, Nik Clayton wrote:
> &deja.vu;

Yea, I was here for many earlier conversations about this.

> Yes, with a reservation.  Specifically, is there a description
> anywhere of what constitutes a user task and what's an admin task?
> 
> Looking over the existing Handbook, all of the following (notionally in
> the 'user' section) strike me as being admin tasks:
> 
>   Chapter  4 - Installing Applications
>   Chapter  8 - Configuring the FreeBSD Kernel
>   Chapter 10 - Linux Binary Compatability

I think I'd prefer to work on a definition of user vs admin task.
It's true that these are admin tasks, but these are really some of the
first things that people need to know about FreeBSD.

> Last time this sort of thing came up, we discussed making the split
> along task-oriented lines, potentially leading to several smaller
> handbooks, rather than the two books that you're suggesting.

Yea I remember discussing this with you many times, but I also know
that you prefer smaller divisions than I do.

> So consider this one last stab at getting someone to implement that
> idea.  Failing that, your willingness to do the work you've outlined
> trumps my kvetching from the sidelines :-)

I can't reach that sight right now (in China and not using a proxy --
maybe someone recently posted something about Falung Gong on
groups.google.com), but I'm sure I've read it in previous years.  I
didn't agree with your vision for a series of much smaller handbooks
(some the size of a single chapter we have now, less than 100 pages
printed) then and I haven't come around to it after several more years
of the Handbook growing.  Regardless, even if others agree with your
vision, then you can look at this as a first step and still get
support and do the work for your own further split at some later date.

I have done the work in Perforce and am talking about moving us CLOSER
to your goal (and all the way to my goal) right now.

	- Murray