Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 22:08:37 +0300 From: Giorgos Keramidas <keramida@ceid.upatras.gr> To: Szilveszter Adam <sziszi@bsd.hu> Cc: freebsd-doc@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Splitting the Handbook? (was: [a couple of new doc PRs]) Message-ID: <20020407190837.GA9589@hades.hell.gr> In-Reply-To: <20020407093538.GB539@fonix.adamsfamily.xx> References: <20020404062954.6607E2E827@mail.freebsdmall.com> <20020406221709.GA1181@hades.hell.gr> <20020407093538.GB539@fonix.adamsfamily.xx>
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On 2002-04-07 11:35, Szilveszter Adam wrote:
> I think that splitting up the Handbook would be a good idea. It is
> getting too large in every respect. (To read, to process, to search,
> to...:-) Also, a division into a "user's" and "admin's" part seems like
> a good idea. (On the assumption that the Developers Handbook continues
> to evolve so as to offer information to those who wish to use FreeBSD as
> a development platform.)
You have put this in words better than I did. This was my assumption,
that I did not write. That the Handbooks will be separated based on
who the target of each part will be. There is another thing I was
contemplating today. There are roughly two types of system
administrators. The first is a newbie in Unix administration and
needs a "tutorial" more than a "reference". The second one can be
provided for the experienced system administrator by the system
manpages, and other online documentation. It is the former that we
should target.
> [snip, good points made about defining content of parts before splitting]
A quick browsing of the contents of both the Handbook and the
Developer Handbook contents suggests that there are parts that can
split off to one of the three major categories of users:
- System Administrators
advanced-networking, backups, basics, bibliography,
boot, config, contrib, cutting edge, disks, install,
introduction, kernelconfig, kernelopts, l10n,
linuxemu, mail, mirrors, pgpkeys, ports, ppp-and-slip,
preface, printing, security, serialcomms, sound,
users, x11.
- FreeBSD users
basics, bibliography, contrib, disks, eresources,
introduction, ports, preface, printing, security,
sound, x11.
- FreeBSD developers (developer-handbook)
developing software on FreeBSD, developing software
*for* FreeBSD (including handbook/policies).
I've deliberately copied names sections of the Handbooks to more than
one section, to show that parts of that section are more interesting
to administrators, while other parts are needed by users that
configure their ${HOME} stuff. This separation makes obvious yet
another fact. Our existing documentation has many parts that are
helpful to administrators, but less parts that a user of FreeBSD (who
simply uses FreeBSD to get work done). We'll probably need to expand
on the user part of the documentation a bit.
- Giorgos
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