Tim: >> So every time I do this, I have to look up instructions, and hunt >> around for them and the right checksum file. g: > it would be nice if fedora site was setup so that everything, > releases, iso files, software packages, new and archives, where > accessible via a better, single, ftp layout. but then, it is difficult > to *prettify* an ftp page, so why should they spend the time. > > "http://archive.fedoraproject.org/pub/"; is pretty much 'straight > forward'. so why can same not be done for *new*? > > even better, set up an "ftp://fedoraproject.org/pub/"; As much as I dislike absolute step-by-step instructions, particularly as they (usually) leave you in the lurch when you can't do one of the steps, it's not that hard to make a page that says: 1. Download the files. Here are some sources: <link to download page, with list of mirrors, a seeding link for a torrent, etc.> 2. Check your download is correct. Here are some instructions for checking on Linux or Windows or Mac, and the checksums you use to check the file with <link>. NB: I think the checksum should probably only be on the main site, so no checksums are around for supporting hacked downloads. It also provides a good metric for how many people do check the file. 3. Burn your ISO to disc, here are some instructions for different burning software <link>. Or, here are some instructions to leave the ISO on a disc you can access in some way, and boot up and install from a hard disc <link>. Or, here are some instructions for installing over a network <link>. And here is a page going into more details about the different ways you can install <link>. 4. Once installed, there's a few things you should probably configure, straight away, here's a set of brief start up instructions that explain the post-install steps <link>. 5. If you're a newcomer, you might want to read the starter's guide to using Fedora <link>. -------------------------------- Now, some of that stuff changes from release to release, so you'd had links to pages within that release's notes (checksums, specific instructions, etc.). Other things don't, so you'd have generic notes about, how to download large files from websites, how to burn the ISO on Windows software, outside of the release-specific parts of the website, for example. A decent webmaster can write that up wrapped in appropriate HTML sections so they can apply CSS to it, and re-style it every time they want to follow the latest fad, without having to re-write all the content. i.e. They can pretty it up, without lousing up the instructions that people need to see. Or, the alternative of making the pages up from a database. So that pages insert <basic install instructions> or <explicit install instructions> depending on the page needs. Which, also, makes it easier to have various different types of instruction pages, that all show exactly the same instructions. No confusion, no errors on one page that don't appear on another... I've seen it come and go, over time. But there really needs to be a one-page place to start the ball rolling, and it needs to be easy to find (both from the homepage, and by search engines *). You can link to pages with more information, for those who need more information. But for those that just need reminding of the order of steps, the first page might well do. Likewise, "further information" pages can have a 5 point quick outline of what to do at the top, and an in-depth coverage of all those steps, below, for the same reason (some people just need a prompt, others need full instructions). * Most people find pages via search engines. And that usually means straight into a page within the site, not the homepage. That only works well when the site is authored well. But can fail terribly when a site has multiple similar pages, in some way, but where only one of them is really suitable. When building a site where you keep old pages, you need to author them, right from the start, with prominent version numbers, dates, and links to the current version. Links that continue to work when the "current version" changes. e.g. On all pages, the current install guide link would always be "/install-guide", whereas links between archived old pages are "install-guide" (within the tree, not from the root). -- [tim@localhost ~]$ uname -r 2.6.27.25-78.2.56.fc9.i686 Don't send private replies to my address, the mailbox is ignored. I read messages from the public lists. -- users mailing list users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines
