Creating an Admin Handbook

[Ken Smith]

On Tue, Jul 20, 2004 at 10:45:01AM +0000, Murray Stokely wrote:
> > 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.

One last wimper, then I'll shut up - it's really not worth an argument. :-)

IMHO then you're not really interested in a definition of user vs admin
task (which is fine).  You're interested in clumping things more people
are likely to need in the first volume (which is fine).

I think what we really need to answer is who we expect Joe Average
Handbook Reader to be.  If it's a typical-ish home user then your
approach definitely makes sense - clump "the first things that people
need to know" together and this sort of person is by definition both
user and admin so this isn't horrible.  If it's a more corporate or
otherwise large-site audience this isn't necessarily the best split.
If I received a box with media and two books in it for a new OS we
were thinking about using I'd grab the admin guide on the way out
the door for the day planning to do a little evening reading and I'd
be annoyed if it didn't include the Install docs.  I'd also be scared
that "they" expect normal users to install the OS and applications,
one of my reasons for considering this OS is getting away from an
environment where users can easily dammage the system...  :-)

Sounds like you expect Joe Average Handbook Reader to be the home
user type, correct?

-- 
						Ken Smith
- From there to here, from here to      |       kensmith at cse.buffalo.edu
  there, funny things are everywhere.   |
                      - Theodore Geisel |