Prioritising which document?

[Timothy Murphy]

Karsten Wade wrote:

>> I like the installation guide above
>> (or at least the parts of it that have been written),
>> though I would add the slight criticism
>> that it does not tell you what to do
>> if the step described does _not_ work.

> I agree with how useful this would be.  However, we recently decided to
> focus the IG on the common case where things work as expected.  Then we
> are splitting out detailed technical discussions and problem areas into
> separate docs.  Otherwise, the IG becomes too big to maintain easily by
> itself.
> 
> This lets us get the first 60% to 80% of users with a single guide.
> Then we can focus resources on documenting other aspects of the
> installation for either those who want to know more or those who have
> troubles.

That seems reasonable to me.
Maybe an URL pointing out where to look if one has problems ...
 
>> So my advice would be to ask people what problems they have had
>> with installation, and see if you can address their problems.
>> perhaps in an FAQ chapter.
> 
> Do you have any ideas how to gather this information?

I guess just by asking for feedback:
"If you've had problems installing Fedora on your computer,
please drop a note to problems at wherever
describing the problem and the computer."
 
> Do you any interest in working on such an FAQ?

I would certainly be willing to help in any way I can
with the Fedora project, which seems to me
the most likely route for widespread adoption of Linux.

However, I don't feel I have the knowledge to author an FAQ.
A good FAQ requires a rather unusual combination of talents, I think -
on the one hand, knowledge of the subject at issue,
and at the same time, ability to adopt the mind-set
of someone who does not have this knowledge.

I must admit I'm surprised how difficult it often is
to find the solution to simple problems by googling.
(This applies at least as much to Windows as Linux.)

I've always felt that FAQs are too often
"Questions I wished you had asked"
rather than a genuine attempt to answer questions that actually arise.
Here I think Windows _is_ a lot better than Linux.

Anyway, best of luck with your project(s),
which seem to me potentially of crucial importance to the future of Fedora.

-- 
Timothy Murphy  
e-mail (<80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland