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  • From: Fred Stutzman <fred AT metalab.unc.edu>
  • To: Jameson Lopp <fusion AT ibiblio.org>
  • Cc: lyceum-users AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Lyceum-users] frustrated newbie asking for installation help
  • Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 16:27:15 -0400 (EDT)

And documentation is where the community comes into play. If you've had troubles with lyceum that you've overcome, write them up and send them to us so we can use it in our documentation (or website).

Jameson is right - there are so many systems and so many potential problems, that the community is the best resource. That said, we can and will do better as the project matures.

Joe, so by all means - any anyone else out there, you are welcome to contribute documentation back. Translators, we need you too! Perhaps it is time to start a lyceum-docs list, which I'm happy to take responsibility for.

If you're interested in joining such a project (either as a doc writer for Lyceum or a doc translator), reply to this and lets see if we can't get something started.

We all can make Lyceum better. That's what's cool about open source.

Thanks,
Fred


On Fri, 30 Jun 2006, Jameson Lopp wrote:

You have some valid points that the installation document is rather
'bare bones' and could be more detailed. As it stands, the manual
assumes that Lyceum will be installed by a server administrator who is
experienced in the configuration of their own system. The instructions
can be somewhat vague simply because of the variety of systems on which
Lyceum may be installed. It would, of course, be better if we had a
variety of manuals for say, OS X, Linux, Windows with apache, Windows
with IIS, etc. Unfortunately with an entire two programmers working
(part time) on the project, documentation has been on the back burner.
John and I haven't discussed this issue yet but I can assure you that we
would not turn down an offer for help. The goal of this project is to
provide free and easy access for the public to set up blogs, thus
documentation is an important issue if we are to make it more available
to the average user.

- Jameson

Joe Harkins wrote:
I went further and encountered an error message that did not surprise me
but then, I probably have no idea what's supposed to happen.

I edited the wp-config.php per my previous email and decided that the other
issues could be resolved later since they deal with the options of how the
program treats subdomains.

So I pointed my browser at: http://mydomain.com/wp-admin/install.php

Which, of course, produced the error message that there is no such file. I
say,
"of course" because there really isn't such a file as that string defines.

The path to the install.php file is:

/public_html/src/lyceum/wp-admin/install.php

So I tried: http://epluriblogs.com/src/lyceum/wp-admin/install.php

Which, of course (again) worked - or at least has brought me to the
installation setup.

At this point I must pause and say, with respect but without apology, these
so-called installation instructions are not very well written. They suffer
from a problem I have often seen in 25 years of fooling around with
computers, under which instructions are written for those who really don't
need them - and are a serious hurdle for those who do.

This current issue - and the previous ones where assumptions are made and
inaccurate advice is given ("set" for "create") - are examples of that.
They are not recognized as problems because the only people who see them at
this stage of product development and distribution, are those who already
know what is intended - and then along comes a newbie like me who takes
words literally and immediately is lost.

To show my sincerity, and speaking as a professional writer, I'm offering
to work with someone to do a makeover of the installation instructions,
"for the rest of us."

Takers? Would the effort be accepted by Lyceum? Or am I just being a pest
with good intentions (as in, the paving on the road to youknowhwere.)

Sincerely, Joe


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Fred Stutzman
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