Documentation style: ChatGPT or not?

Development
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We are starting to polishing things for the NS8 beta 1 release.

Since ChatGPT is again available in Italy, I’ve tried to ask the AI to rewrite a couple of documentation chapter: the intro and the release glossary.

Intro: human

NethServer 8 (NS8) is a GNU/Linux application server designed for small offices and medium enterprises. Applications can be managed from a simple Web user interface.
Under the hood, NS8 is a container orchestrator. It can host different applications on a single machine or spread the load across multiple nodes.
NethServer 8 (NS8), is the evolution of NethServer 7 (NS7).
Get support
You want to know more or look for some help? Check out our great community!
If you’re looking for more technical details, take a look to the developer manual.
Bugs can be discussed and reported inside the community forum. A public issue tracker is available at GitHub.

Intro: ChatGPT:

NethServer 8 (NS8) is an application server based on GNU/Linux, designed specifically for small offices and medium enterprises. It comes with a simple-to-use web interface, allowing for easy management of applications.
Beneath the surface, NS8 serves as a container orchestrator. This means that it is capable of hosting different applications on a single machine, or spreading the load across multiple nodes.
NS8 is the successor to NethServer 7 (NS7).
If you’re looking for more information or need help, our community is a great resource to check out. For technical details, you can refer to the developer manual.
If you come across any bugs, feel free to discuss and report them within the community forum. Alternatively, there is a public issue tracker available on GitHub.

Release glossary: human

Alpha: the software is not thoroughly tested and may not contain all planned features. Do not use this release on production. You can use this release to see what’s coming on the upcoming version. Updates from alpha release to other releases is not supported.
Beta: the software can be considered feature complete but may still contain many known and unknown bugs. Do not use this release on production. You can use this release to test the software before using it on production environments. Updates from beta release to RC and stable are supported but may require manual procedure.
Release Candidate (RC): the software is feature complete, it contains no known bugs and can be promoted to stable if no major issues arise. Updates from RC to stable is supported and should be almost automatic. Use this release on production only if you already have some experience with the software.
Stable: the software can be safely used on production environments.

Release glossary: ChatGPT

The software release cycle includes four stages: Alpha, Beta, Release Candidate (RC), and Stable.
During the Alpha stage, the software is not thoroughly tested and may not include all planned features. This release is not suitable for production environments. However, it can be used to preview what’s coming in the upcoming version. Please note that updates from an Alpha release to other releases are not supported.
The Beta stage indicates that the software is feature complete, but it may still contain many known and unknown bugs. This release should not be used on production environments. However, it can be used to test the software before deploying it to production. Updates from a Beta release to an RC or Stable release are supported but may require a manual procedure.
During the Release Candidate (RC) stage, the software is feature complete, and it contains no known bugs. If no major issues arise, it can be promoted to Stable. Updates from an RC release to a Stable release are supported and should be almost automatic. However, if you’re new to the software, it’s best to use it on production only if you already have some experience with it.
The Stable release is the most reliable and safe to use on production environments. It has been thoroughly tested and is considered to be free of major bugs.

Which version is better? Human or AI?

As non-native English speaker, I’m not sure which I like more :slight_smile:

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I’m not a native English speaker either. As far as I can see, there is limited differences between the 2. If ChatGPT can create the whole manual in minutes, then I’d say: let it do the hard work. Maybe re-write here and there and you’re set.

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Agree, leave the heavy lifting to ChatGPT

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Just thinking out loud here! Please do not shoot me!

  1. Is it an app server or a container platform that can host apps or anything else digital for that matter?

  2. Is it about the (technical) server/platform or is it about what can be achieved (practicality/result) with it?

  3. Is it about the ease of installation, maintenance, security, flexibility, extensibility? What/who is the target market?

  4. Is it designed (from the ground up) as a cloud platform, to be used primarily on premises or as a ‘cloud’ somewhere, or as a sophisticated admin toy?

  5. Is it a cloud platform or to what does it compare to, what commercial alternatives are there?

  6. Why should I look at it all? MS, Google, AWS and many others have off the shelf offerings that are sustainable, affordable and easy to scale.

Ok, shoot! :slight_smile:

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As italian speaking person, I can feel that the “human version” of the texts are less “english”, due to different clause construction but unfortunately the glossary and synonyms are not “that” better.
If ChatGPT is seen as “a tool for simplify and speedup text review and production” I’d vote against.

But personally I’d use the ChatGPT-chewed version for comparison, second guess and… spell and grammar checker.

“Best” english is not that necessary, I cannot remember a whole size of US/UK/EIRE/SouthAfrica/Australia people as community bystander. However, as a glance for provide a nicer project experience I’d gave ChatGPT a chance for second opinion.
Last but not least: I don’t know how in term of copyright the “output” of ChatGPT is compatible with GPLv3 License.

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Yep, I overlooked my own enthusiasm. The question at hand was to use ChatGPT or not. The question was not to debate the purpose and identity of ‘Nethserver NSx’

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I’ll try to answer, but probably we should add the answers on the site, not on the doc.

The target is exactly the same of NethServer 7

  1. it is an app server that can host apps
  2. it is about what can be achieved
  3. it is designed (from the ground up) as a cloud platform, to be used primarily on premises and as a ‘cloud’ somewhere
  4. same competitors as ns 7
  5. if you’re skilled enough, go for other big solutions, otherwise ns8 is for you

This is ChatGPT:

Introducing NethServer 8, the versatile solution that combines the power of an app server with the flexibility of a container platform. With NethServer 8, you can easily host and manage your apps with ease, whether you’re using it on premises or in the cloud.

Designed from the ground up as a cloud platform, NethServer 8 is the perfect solution for those who prioritize ease of installation, maintenance, security, flexibility, and extensibility. Our team of experts has spent years perfecting this product to provide you with the best possible experience, no matter what your needs may be.

Whether you’re a developer looking for a simple way to host your applications, or an enterprise in need of a robust and scalable cloud platform, NethServer 8 has everything you need and more. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, you can be up and running in no time, and enjoy the benefits of a modern and reliable cloud platform.

So why wait? Try NethServer 8 today and experience the ease and flexibility of our app server and container platform. Whether you’re hosting your apps on premises or in the cloud, NethServer 8 is the perfect choice for your business.

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OpenAssistant can do even better thanks to @LayLow questions:

NethServer 8 - Revolutionize Your Application Hosting Experience
Introducing NethServer 8 - the ultimate application hosting platform that provides a simplified yet comprehensive experience for deploying, managing, and scaling your applications. Designed from the ground up to meet the ever-evolving demands of modern businesses, NethServer 8 boasts unparalleled versatility and convenience.

Whether you are seeking an efficient app server or a state-of-the-art container platform, NethServer 8 has got you covered. Built with ease of installation, maintenance, and security at its core, NethServer 8 takes away the hassle associated with maintaining complex IT infrastructures. This enables you to focus on developing world-class software solutions while leaving the heavy lifting to us.

NethServer 8’s flexible design allows effortless deployment and management of applications across diverse environments such as on-premise setups or private clouds. Moreover, by providing exceptional scalability, NethServer 8 caters to organizations of varying sizes, from startups experimenting with novel ideas to large corporations running critical systems.

To further enhance developer efficiency, NethServer 8 supports several popular development frameworks, libraries, APIs, and more. By offering out-of-the-box integration with common tools, NethServer 8 expedites feature extension within your applications without having to recreate the basics from scratch.

So, if you crave a reliable, easy-to-use, adaptable, and capable application hosting platform, look no further than NethServer 8. It’s tailor-made for organizations of all sizes, irrespective of their preferred deployment models. Join our growing community today and taste the difference that NethServer 8 brings to your digital endeavors.

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No really sure if this is the case if upcoming version has no firewall capabilities in it’s core

For me it means I have to get extra options from my hosting provider:

Now I have a VPS for x amount of $. All done.

Tomorrow I will need 2 x VPS (1 for Firewall distro and 1 for NS future version) AND I need to buy a network option to connect the two on a virtual private network. Then I have to dive into a Firewall OS AND obtain skillsets for that to be able to properly deploy and maintain.

SO basically 2 x VPS, 1 x Networking , learn new Firewall OS and skills. Maintain it all. And only then hoping I did a good job and keep monitoring all log files of both VPS’s and networking.

So stating ‘security at its core’ needs some explanation I guess?

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UTM… community manager claimed (still not fun remember that). Is not NS7, i don’t know if it will be NextSecurity.

Firewall section should be stripped out from the description, unless if it’s considered as “inter-container” firewall.

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No, you will not: NS8 has a builtin firewall (Firewalld) and does not need another external firewall appliance for its protection.

Security is a quite broad concept: from that sentence I understand that I don’t struggle to secure the system because it is already configured in a safe way.

Like NS7, I’ve just to update the system periodically.

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As security I’d also list things like:

  • rootless containers whenever possible
  • selinux and apparmor enabled
  • user isolation for containers
  • quick updates of container images (eg. we have dependandbot that tracks upstream)

Strictly regarding the built-in firewall, we also already have CrowdSec which does the same job of fail2ban plus extra community blacklists.

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That is great news to me!

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I have been relying on this concept since e-smith version 3.

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As a native English speaker I can see that both the Human version and ChatGPT version are both good; I did find the HUman version is using what feels like it is writen by a non-native English speaker. However it is still very good English.

However in this example, I have found both versions actually have very subtle different target groups.

The Human version feels more targeted towards the actual techie, while the CHatGPT version feels more targeted towards either the techie’s boss or the techie’s client, neither of which may be technically inclined as the techie (him|her)self.

I am not sure as yet if I like the text provided by ChatGPT as yet.

I would recommend evaluating exactly who you want the target audience to be for the documentation and how you would like the text to look and sound like for the intended audience. Based with that in mind, ChatGPT may be able to help with some of the text, grammer and punctuation; but I don’t think it should be a blanket Copy/Paste exercise from ChatGPT.

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I came here to post my own thoughts, but I have to agree with @bwdjames 's point that the ChatGPT version is geared towards a non-techie. This is a problem if it’s intended to be a user manual. You could try to adjust the prompt to get it to be more technical, but there’s no guarantee.

What I originally came to post is that: anything written by ChatGPT needs to be reviewed by a human - and I mean really reviewed! Aside from the tone of the text, the content is very important. There are already places in the existing documentation where many assumptions are being made about what the user knows and is capable of. I’m concerned that letting ChatGPT do the writing will cause even more things to be missed, which may not be obvious to someone taking a quick glance at the writing before publishing it.

Having said that - a page with an attempted description by ChatGPT is (probably?) better than no page at all.

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According to Mr Luke LaFreniere, ChatGPT is always confident. Wrong or right what’s writing.