Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 09:05:31 -0500 From: Michael Lucas <mwlucas@blackhelicopters.org> To: doc@freebsd.org Subject: Any comments? Message-ID: <20001030090531.A2062@blackhelicopters.org>
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
I have two pet concerns with the FreeBSD project, namely tech support and documentation. I've been turning over ideas in my head for some time now on how I could address these, and think I have a decent framework worked out. Time constraints have made me focus on articles; however, my wife met a bunch of really nice folks at BSDCon, and she thinks I really should spend more time helping you out. ;) Before I start work, however, I wanted to bounce this past a few folks for feedback. If you think this is a boneheaded idea, feel free to say so and I won't bother. If you can improve upon it before I start, please say now. Problem: FreeBSD's freely-available technical support is difficult for newbies to use. For example, a Handbook/FAQ search on "use floppy disk" returns 322 hits. The proper information is in there, but it's not clearly marked as the solution to whatever the current problem is. More modern technical support systems usually use a "wizard" that walks you through the troubleshooting process. Half our problem is helping the user define the problem, after all. Suggested solution: A Web-based "problem tree" that walks the user through to a pointer for the correct information. It would open with a brief description of how to use the tree, and how to write the FreeBSD lists for help when the tree fails. It would then proceed to break down general categories of problems. Following the links presents the user with a more specific list of problems. For example, the first page would include: Removable Media Ports & Packages Installing The Kernel ... Clicking on the "Removable Media" link would present a list like: Formatting Floppy Disks Mounting (using) removable media How can I let anyone mount removable media? Each of these would be a link to an appropriate handbook or FAQ section, if at all possible. If I have to write a separate entry for something, it would probably be better to put the entry in the FAQ or handbook -- you only want to maintain one set of answers, after all. There would also be a "fallthrough" section, where we say "If you're having a problem of type X, bundle up information X, Y, and Z, and send it to the freebsd-whatever list." This, like a UNIX command, is designed to do only one thing but do it well: find information in the FreeBSD documentation. This would allow listing a problem in multiple places, if appropriate. I would either host this myself, or hand it over to you folks if you want it. Comments? Suggestions? Name-calling? (No obscenities, please, unless they're *very* creative.) Thanks, Michael -- Michael Lucas mwlucas@blackhelicopters.org http://www.blackhelicopters.org/~mwlucas/ Big Scary Daemons: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/q/Big_Scary_Daemons To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-doc" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20001030090531.A2062>