Thread: QUERY - Including the new LDP PostgreSQL HOWTO in the main PostgreSQL distribution

Hi all,

We've had the go-ahead from the Linux Documentation Project (LDP) guys
to create a new PostgreSQL HOW-TO for a while now.  I was going to start
it off just to make sure we had something, so that it could be put
around instead of Al Dev's Database Guide (the bad one).

Well, I haven't had time.  Here's my thought, I'd like to know what
people think.

 - How about we create a new PostgreSQL HOW-TO, have it as part of the
main distribution, and have that be the one which the LDP guys use?

They use DocBook format, as do we, and I feel this will allow us to keep
a very in-sync relationship between the new PostgreSQL HOW-TO and the
present version.

It also means that no one person has total control of it, and it can be
contributed to by anyone that has a suggestion and/or can generate a
diff.

So, what do people think?

:-)

Regards and best wishes,

Justin Clift

> Hi all,
>
> We've had the go-ahead from the Linux Documentation Project (LDP) guys
> to create a new PostgreSQL HOW-TO for a while now.  I was going to start
> it off just to make sure we had something, so that it could be put
> around instead of Al Dev's Database Guide (the bad one).
>
> Well, I haven't had time.  Here's my thought, I'd like to know what
> people think.
>
>  - How about we create a new PostgreSQL HOW-TO, have it as part of the
> main distribution, and have that be the one which the LDP guys use?
>
> They use DocBook format, as do we, and I feel this will allow us to keep
> a very in-sync relationship between the new PostgreSQL HOW-TO and the
> present version.
>
> It also means that no one person has total control of it, and it can be
> contributed to by anyone that has a suggestion and/or can generate a
> diff.

I always wondered how a HOTTO differs from an FAQ or the existing docs.

--
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 853-3000
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  830 Blythe Avenue
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026

> > Hi all,
> >
> > We've had the go-ahead from the Linux Documentation Project (LDP) guys
> > to create a new PostgreSQL HOW-TO for a while now.  I was going to start
> > it off just to make sure we had something, so that it could be put
> > around instead of Al Dev's Database Guide (the bad one).
*SNIP*
>
> I always wondered how a HOWTO differs from an FAQ or the existing docs.

I  think
 - HOWTO: Simpler documents that describe how to set sysmtems up and use.
 - FAQ: Documents that list question and answer for subjects.
 - Other: Books/Articles/Manuals/References describe subjects in detail and much
longer than HOWTO. (?)

For a long time, I thougt HOWTO is docuement for "quick start". Isn't it?

--
Ohgaki, Yasuo
Mail: yohgaki@dd.iij4u.or.jp

> For a long time, I thougt HOWTO is docuement for "quick start". Isn't it?

I'm not sure there is an understood meaning of what a HOWTO actually it.
It's an explanation of how to do something, I guess... Generally I've found
(as in your example) that it's putting software together and making it work,
like Apache/SSL/Frontpage/something -- for that there is no single document
that describes how to set it up. I really don't think the PostgreSQL
installation guide could get much more simple -- why re-invent the wheel
here?

-Mitch

Justin Clift writes:

>  - How about we create a new PostgreSQL HOW-TO, have it as part of the
> main distribution, and have that be the one which the LDP guys use?

Our Tutorial needs A LOT of work.  Perhaps these efforts could somehow be
combined.  I know I'm going to do some work on the Tutorial soon if no one
beats me to it.  I don't know whether the LDP has any specific artistic
expectations for its HOWTOs, though.

--
Peter Eisentraut   peter_e@gmx.net   http://funkturm.homeip.net/~peter

> ... How about we create a new PostgreSQL HOW-TO...

Yes, yes, yes. I've been wanting to do the same thing for some time now.
Count me in for some work.

                      - Thomas

Yep.

That's exactly why we need to get it done.  A document already exists.
And it's badly wrong.  And we can't just "fix it".

We need a replacement.  :-)

I like Thomas's suggestion of using the existing installation guide, and
making sure it has Linux specific stuff in it too.

So, I think that's what we'll do.

Regards and best wishes,

Justin Clift

Thomas Lockhart wrote:
>
> To have adequate representation of PostgreSQL in the LDP docs set.
>
> It may be sufficient to package the installation guide with some
> Linux-specific FAQ information (which afaik is now obsolete and could be
> freshened and moved to the SGML-based docs).
>
>                       - Thomas
>
> ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 4: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster

> > For a long time, I thougt HOWTO is docuement for "quick start". Isn't it?
> I'm not sure there is an understood meaning of what a HOWTO actually it.
> It's an explanation of how to do something, I guess... Generally I've found
> (as in your example) that it's putting software together and making it work,
> like Apache/SSL/Frontpage/something -- for that there is no single document
> that describes how to set it up. I really don't think the PostgreSQL
> installation guide could get much more simple -- why re-invent the wheel
> here?

To have adequate representation of PostgreSQL in the LDP docs set.

It may be sufficient to package the installation guide with some
Linux-specific FAQ information (which afaik is now obsolete and could be
freshened and moved to the SGML-based docs).

                      - Thomas