RE: PostgreSQL HowTo

[Gregory Leblanc <GLeblanc@cu-portland.edu>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lamar Owen [mailto:lamar.owen@wgcr.org]
> Sent: Friday, June 30, 2000 1:22 PM
> To: Thomas Lockhart
> Cc: Gregory Leblanc; LDP
> Subject: Re: PostgreSQL HowTo
> 
> [Thomas cc:ed me, and I'm replying to the whole group as one 
> who has had
> contact with Al Dev regarding the PostgreSQL RPM's omission 
> of his HOWTO
> , which used to be distributed in the RPM's, which I maintain.]
> 
> Thomas Lockhart wrote:
>  
> > > be easily accepted, and the current PostgreSQL HOWTO 
> removed.  I think
> > > somebody should probably contact the author of the current HOWTO,
> > > either an "official" of the LDP (Guylhem, don't you need 
> a few more
> > > people hating you?:), and/or a member of the PostgreSQL team.
> 
> Good luck talking to aldev.  He thinks his second chapter is 
> God's Gift
> To Hackerdom.  I certainly have sympathy for the one who contacts him,
> as he is incorrigible. While I am sure he means well, and he certainly
> has the freedom to say whatever he wants to say, the forum of 
> a HOWTO is
> not, IMO, designed to carry that sort of message.

I knew I'd be glad I didn't volunteer.  :-)

> > Linux well, but it may be better to expand the FAQ to cover at least
> > some common topics and to be more closely cross-referenced 
> to the other
> > documents. We would be happy to take suggestions from the 
> LDP community
> > on form and content.
> 
> The book that Bruce is writing is an excellent model for a 
> HOWTO, except
> for the fact that the HOWTO needs more Linux-specific (in particular,
> RPM-specific) instructions.  However, inclusion of Bruce's book would
> render the HOWTO unprintable, as Addison-Wesley owns the paper
> publishing rights. A clear reference to the book should be made, IMHO.

I'm not sure, but I don't think that was really proposed.  I think that it's
probably more than a HOWTO anyway.

> I see the following structure:
> 1.)	About PostgreSQL (history, what-is-it, etc)

Just for personal preference, I'd put this at the end of the document, and
have something brief (one or two paragraphs, not more) in the introduction.
Assuming that the HOW TO is how to get, use, administer PostgreSQL, the
history should be more of an added chapter, and not something to begin the
document.  

> 2.)	How to get PostgreSQL
> 3.)	How to install PostgreSQL (from source, from .deb, and from rpm)
> 4.)	How to administer PostgreSQL (including upgrade caveats and
> instructions, as this phase of PostgreSQL usage is the one most likely
> to cause a user problems)
> 5.)	What can I do with PostgreSQL? (Applications and interfaces).
> 6.)	How to use the PostgreSQL documentation
> 7.)	The PostgreSQL Global Development Group -- How to contact and
> contribute (with pointers to the mailing lists @postgresql.org).
> 
> Yes, I'm volunteering to _help_ write/maintain one... Need to learn
> {DocBook|Linuxdoc|SGML} anyway... :-) Thomas is PGDG's Doc 
> guru, though,
> and is probably a better choice to actually write the thing.

Probably a better choice to do some of the markup, but anybody who can write
english clearly (which seems to be the case, although only judging from this
email) can help to write a HOWTO.  Later
	Grego


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