First stab at gnucash-docs

[Derek Atkins]

Sure, but this should go in the README file.  You need to have
gnucash installed in order to read the help documentation,
at which point you've already got past all these problems.

I do agree that having detailed download and build instructions
are necessary.  I do NOT agree they belong in the gnucash help
file.

-derek

"Dan Means" <dkmeans at srsconsulting.net> writes:

> PMJIH -- but I'd agree that more instruction on installation is really
> needed. I worked hard to get gnucash running, and fell back to my Red Hat
> distro disks... I'm a reasonably technical person (newbie on Linux) so a lot
> of the little "config" and "make" and dependency stuff is not so bad once
> you've done a few compiles, but the point of having the application is to
> use it, and not to just have fun playing with compiles and downloading
> various obscure libraries...
> 
> There's a common problem in all the Linux packages I've been using /
> installing -- the docs say things like "Oh, just make a sym link to the
> library" ...the false assumption that is so common is that the user actually
> is a very experienced O/S user who just "knows" this stuff.
> 
> While I'll agree that you can't teach everybody their O/S, you should at
> least have some rudimentary instruction for a few common distros... or at
> least there should be some deep FAQ's / Wiki to look stuff up.
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jon Lapham" <lapham at extracta.com.br>
> To: "Derek Atkins" <warlord at MIT.EDU>
> Cc: <chris at wilddev.net>; "Gnucash" <gnucash-devel at lists.gnucash.org>; "Linas
> Vepstas" <linas at linas.org>
> Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 9:38 AM
> Subject: Re: First stab at gnucash-docs
> 
> 
> Derek Atkins wrote:
> > I honestly don't think we need to go into too much detail here.  Just
> > point at the README file.  Users need to know how to use their own
> > OSes -- it's not our job to teach them.
> 
> Well, this is an important thing to hash out before I put any more work
> into these installation instructions!  :)
> 
> Do you think I should simply say "Download the gnucash source code, and
> read the README file for instructions on how to install GnuCash" in the
> installation section of the guide?  It seems to me that we would really
> be turning off the non-geeks with that...
> 
> It would seem silly at first glance to include semi-detailed user
> friendly installation instructions in gnucash help (which requires a
> running gnucash installation to read).  However, our documentation is in
> a format which would make for simple packaging into a book or other hard
> form (pamphlets, handouts, etc).  For this situation, I think it would
> be nice to have instructions a non-ubergeek could understand for how to
> install the software.  Also, you could imagine the situation where you
> are showing GnuCash off to someone, they want to install it, so you
> print the installation instructions out for them from the help window.
> 
> --
> -**-*-*---*-*---*-*---*-----*-*-----*---*-*---*-----*-----*-*-----*---
>   Jon Lapham  <lapham at extracta.com.br>          Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
>   Work: Extracta Moléculas Naturais SA     http://www.extracta.com.br/
>   Web: http://www.jandr.org/
> ***-*--*----*-------*------------*--------------------*---------------
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> gnucash-devel mailing list
> gnucash-devel at lists.gnucash.org
> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-devel
> 
> 

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
       warlord at MIT.EDU                        PGP key available