On Thu, 2007-10-25 at 08:31 +0200, Bart Couvreur wrote:
The current topics list is quite broad, we might want to cut down, the further we go. So how do I see the overall picture here: * Part on basic system administration * users / groups admin * yum / yumex (basic stuff and link to the Yum Guide) * partitions, mounting, permissions * task scheduling * (add your ideas here) * Services / servers * basic services management (system-config-services, chkconfig, service, init.d-scripts) * Basic home-network stuff: NFS, SSH, * describing some broadly used servers (mail, web, DNS, samba, ...) * (add your ideas here) * anything else
Just keep in mind that we don't need to cover *all* of this, the things we can tackle, we'll get done and the rest will be for later (or others to join in).
Sorry I'm late to this discussion. Here are some guidelines you should keep in mind while drafting:
1. Stick to a set of basic assumptions, for instance a default Fedora installation (i.e. for now, leave out things like yumex, dovecot, or other nonstandard services/apps)
2. Focus on showing the user HOW TO accomplish something, rather than explaining everything you know about a topic
3. A good guide for the minimum administrative topics would be to go to the main menu, under System -> Administration, and provide a section for each sysadmin tool there. (That doesn't have to be a limit, just a good starting point.) It would then be fine for each one to show how to make any further configuration that is a major use case.
4. Agree to, and stick to, a best practice for each fundamental procedure, like using /sbin/chkconfig and /sbin/service for example.
5. A good outline, even if you're currently just doing a lot of porting, is a MUST for a good document. Work on an outline as a separate task, and don't worry about making anything fit until you have all the material piled up wherever it makes you happy. Once all the material's been gathered, then go back to the outline, check and revise it, and then start hammering everything into shape. Without an outline you risk having a very confusing guide that hops willy-nilly from one topic to another without any flow. The flow is what helps a reader build her skill set -- by starting with simple things, and building upon them piece by piece.
These are just a few hints that occurred to me. I will readily admit that I am no expert in this area, but these are things I try to think about whenever I'm working on docs.