Documentation on gentoo.org

[gouranga]

I'm a Gentoo user for a while now.
Although I find some parts of Gentoo are very well documented, I have the feeling I am missing some information.

I have a proposal:

- I don't have an overview when I browse to the documentation on http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/

When I'm searching for something particular, it still takes me a few minutes before I can see if the documentation is there or not.
Maybe a search function will improve this time loss.
You can use the documentation listing, but it's my opinion that a search function will be more user friendly.

- I'm missing essential documentation.

Yesterday I came across a "bug" in libwww when it's used in combination with mysql-4.0.27.
I took me 2 hours to determine this was a bug:/ Yes I'm slow

I'm totally not familiar with bugzilla, so maybe if there was a document which describes what a bug in portage is, how you can look it up in bugzilla,... I would have lost less time.

Maybe there should be a "Request Documentation"-form on the website, where users can ask for a how to/manual on a specific subject.

This way the needs for documentation will be clear and forum users/other volunteers can write a manual/how to.
Maybe forum users/other volunteers can prepare this documentation on a forum/wiki.
When it gets approved, it can be listed in the documentation on gentoo.org

I'm talking here about Gentoo system documentation. I think we should keep this documentation and http://gentoo-wiki.com/ separate. Gentoo.org should list the documentation really needed to get your system up and running and maintaining it.

I like the opinion of other gentoo user on this topic.

[96140]

You haven't looked very hard on that page:

"If you want a quick overview of all available documentation without the additional information, please use our Documentation Listing page." That is the overview. You should have looked through it, as you would have seen the Bugzilla Reporting Guide.

Also, a "Request Documentation form" really won't do much good -- we generally have to rely on contributed documentation. There simply isn't enough manpower, time, or godlike Gentoo knowledge to answer every request with a document. This is where the community and other developers from non-documentation projects can help out. Of course, a great many documents are written by the GDP developers, but we can't write every document ourselves.

Specific howtos often take shape on the forums; see the Documentation, Tips, and Tricks forum. Some of the howtos there even make it into gentoo.org/doc/en/.

gentoo-wiki.org has nothing to do with gentoo.org. That wiki is not run by Gentoo, nor is it monitored for accurate information. Gentoo developers are in no way responsible for the information it contains. www.gentoo.org is the only place for official Gentoo documentation.

[gouranga]

You're right. I should have looked harder to the bug-guide.
Maybe that was a bad example.

[96140]

See the Kbase Project, and also start searching for the gentoo-kbase@gentoo.org mailing list archives on http://gmane.org. Already in progress.

There won't be a specific documentation search function at any time in the near future. However, once the redesign of gentoo.org is finished, there will be a general search function implemented for all gentoo.org pages, so that should help.

There's already a howto review system in place . . . it's called Bugzilla. If you have a guide you'd like to contribute, please first read our documentation guidelines and tips, then you can submit it to us for review.

Note that at this time it's probably not a good idea to just cut and paste stuff from Documentation, Tips, & Tricks -- those topics would be best placed in kbase.

[gouranga]

Thanks for the information.
I shall read it.