Current docs are too comlicated for new Postgre users; thoughts on improvement
От | Nikolay Samokhvalov |
---|---|
Тема | Current docs are too comlicated for new Postgre users; thoughts on improvement |
Дата | |
Msg-id | e431ff4c0812250057u5e203fc6wa88c04887ec21b5e@mail.gmail.com обсуждение исходный текст |
Ответы |
Re: Current docs are too comlicated for new Postgre users; thoughts on improvement
("Виктор Вислобоков" <corochoone@gmail.com>)
Re: Current docs are too comlicated for new Postgre users; thoughts on improvement (Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>) Re: Current docs are too comlicated for new Postgre users; thoughts on improvement ("Emanuel Calvo Franco" <postgres.arg@gmail.com>) Re: Current docs are too comlicated for new Postgre users; thoughts on improvement (Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us>) |
Список | pgsql-docs |
Currently, Part III (Server Administration) starts with three chapters: 15. Installation Instructions 16. Installation on Windows 17. Operating System Environment Here in Russia we have a situation, when the number of Win32 users of Postgres is constantly increasing, so more and more questions like "I've tried to install Postgres, clicked next/next/ok/ok/finish in installation wizard, but it doesn't work / service cannot start / I cannot connect" appear. The problem is that we cannot just say "RTFM" them, because it's really hard to find (and in some cases even impossible) to find the proper part of docs. Why? The chapters 15 and 16 of the main docs are not about installation -- they are about building Postgres from sources. Currently, even for *nix DBA installation most frequently means really installation from RPM/.deb/bsd ports/etc, including creation of system user and running initdb. As for Windows users, I haven't meet at least one who needs to know how to build Postgres from sources under Windows! And really often I see that Windows users cannot continue after some silly errors with initdb process. Docs cannot help them -- they open Chapter 16, got stuck and go away. And only really experienced DBAs know, that initdb (one of the most important processes for newbies) is described in "17.2. Creating a Database Cluster", which is located under "17. Operating System Environment" in the main contents listing. I think that docs really need to be clarified, at least titles should be corrected. I'd rename chapter 15 to smth like 'Building from source code on *nix platforms", and 16th one to 'Building from source code on Windows' and chapter 17 (most important) to 'Creation and Initial configuration of database cluster' (maybe with some corrections of contents). Going further, I'd remove detailed building instructions from the beginning of Server Administration part (either to separate but single chapter or even to appendix) and describe in details how to install Postgres in different ways on different platforms, including: - installation from RPM/deb/other packages; - special attention to Windows users (how to install? what are common problems?) /* btw, I won't wonder if win32 version of Postgres is being downloaded more often than others */ - short version of installation from sources; - initdb process; - initial configuration on different platforms. I believe that this question is one of the most important when we are thinking how to grow user base. Thoughts? -- Sincerely yours, Nikolay Samokhvalov Postgresmen LLC, http://postgresmen.ru
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