How to do Question !? First line

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3

Hello Rob

but mostly i never know what kind of Software it is (behind the title). Yes the function is in the Dokumentation.
I will bie nice to hav a keyword.

Howto install Diaspora pod on NethServer
How to install Flectra HQ]

no idea what kind of Software it is

mutch better

LAM - LDAP Account Manager
[accounts-provider]

Wildcard certs with (almost) any DNS host
[letsencrypt]

Thats my favorite
HOWTO install SVN (Version Control System)

Newcomer can find interessting Software mutch easy

thx Axel

PS This is one of my favorite communitys :slight_smile: nice, kindly support :slight_smile:

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Hi @Axel and welcome to the NethServer community.
Let me first give a small explanation what NethServer is.
NethServer is a CentOS7 based distribution that aims to make the life of a sysadmin easier. There are several base functions that can be modular installed.
Besides the modules that are supplied by the distribution, there are many community developed modules
You can also find many install howto’s in the wiki and in these forums
We encourage people to try and install new applications on NethServer. We have a straightforward process for new features:

  • start a topic in the features section of the forums. Explain why you would want such a feature and maybe there are alternatives for this feature. Others can give their opinion on the feature and also point to alternatives. This is to see if there are more people that want such a feature and maybe help you with installing and documentation.
  • Start a new Topic in the howto section. Here the install process of the application is described. When the howto can be 100% reproduced, it will get a place in our wiki.
  • Make a module (rpm) for the new application. This is probably the most difficult part of the process. But be assured, we are a supportive community and will be able to give hints and tips and hands-on help. If you absolutely have no clue how to do this, just ask!

Now on your other questions:
For instance on diaspora we followed our process for new features:
in the Feature section there is the post: Diaspora pod on NethServer
Then a Howto topic in the Howto section was opened: Howto install Diaspora pod on NethServer
For Diaspora we never created a module since it is a not much used application. To be able to install Diaspora on NethServer you are stuck with an install howto.
For other applications that are described in the forums or wiki, you will need to make a bit of effort and investigate what kind of software it is (if not described in the feature topic)

  • LAM has a install howto: LAM - LDAP Account Manager
  • LE certification is available but AFAIK not with wildcard certificates
  • SVN is currently not available. If you really would like that implemented I encourage you to start a topic in the feature section. BTW, NethServer uses github as repository for development and versioning.

If you have further questions, please do ask them. We are here to help you.

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I think OP’s question/concern/issue is that many how-tos jump right into the “how to” part without spending any time at all on “why to”. So, there might be a how-to for installing Mattermost that doesn’t explain at all what Mattermost is or why you might want it (just a random example; I don’t know if this is the case for this how-to). I think OP’s request is that a brief explanation be given.

The built-in certificate management, such as it is, can’t request a wildcard cert, but it’s easy enough to do from the CLI if desired.

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Hello Rob

Thanks for your work :slight_smile: I am using Neth more than 3 years as a small biz solution. Yes its mutch more.

What i like to have is only a better headline with a lill bit more information about the software.

Example 0: “How to install Flectra HQ” if you never hear something about Flectra you never had a idea what kind of software it is :frowning:

Example 1: “HOWTO install SVN (Version Control System)” if you never hear SVN than you know what kind of a function is behind the software.

Thats all …

Why ? I am a sience writer since 2003. First what i had to learn was motivation. Let your the public know thats be interesting :wink:

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:slight_smile: yes Dan thats what i mean :wink: thx

Most of the How to are very good and the discussions to. Sometime i never had a Idea about the function behind the name of the software…

More Users will read them :slight_smile:

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I don’t think that’s a very good example; the “(Version Control System)” tells you what SVN is. But I’d agree with the example of Flectra, to a degree. I wouldn’t be too concerned, though, that the topic title explained what the software is–partially because there’s only one line there. So I wouldn’t have a problem with “How to install Flectra HQ” if the first few sentences explained what it was. Which they kind of do:

image
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They explain that this is CRM software (though that assumes you know what CRM means), and that it’s an open-source fork of Odoo, another piece of CRM software. A little more detail wouldn’t hurt, but at least the basics are there.

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I am sorry was not clear

the HOWTO install SVN (Version Control System) is a good example for doing the rigth way :slight_smile:

so I am total agree with you :slight_smile:

The title "How to install Flectra HQ (CRM&ERP) will better :slight_smile:

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IMO the Howto is not the place to explain what a feature is about. A howto is a more or less technical document that describes a step-by-step instruction to install the feature on NS7.

The place where the explanation should be is the Feature (request) topic.

I can imagine that the description and the instruction can be combined in the wiki.

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I don’t think I agree; I’d say at least a brief explanation (a sentence or two) would be very appropriate. I’m thinking largely of people who may search after the fact. Using the example above, sure, if I know I want to install Flectra, I can search for Flectra–but if I don’t know that product, and/or I want to search more generally for CRM software, it might be harder to find.

This is a good point, and one that I think is often missed by people who post how-to documents. Once the guide is reasonably mature, it really should be moved to the wiki, the text removed from the topic here, and a link given to there.

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Here is the first paragraph of the Flectra howto, you can see it’s a CRM and there is a link to a detailed description.

this is a howto of installing Flectra HQ, a crm fork of odoo.
Thanks to @fausp, who provided a lot of technical info in Flectra HQ - Open Source fork of Odoo 11

Next to this it’s tagged with crm so you’ll find it easily when you search for CRM. It’s the 11th search result because there are some CRMs in this forum.

Is it really necessary to also add it in the title?

grafik
grafik816×143 12 KB

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I think Alex and I would disagree on that question. IMO, the description is adequate, even if I might prefer to see a little more detail–I don’t particularly see a need to include it in the topic title. Alex will have to explain why he feels differently.

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14

I can understand the desire of Axel. It might help to think about the target group of the server. In the past, it seems to me, these were mainly very knowledgeable administrators, technicians and developers as a closed group of experts.
The more the server is developed in the direction of usability and automation of administrative tasks, the more interested laymen (like me :-)) dare to use it. But these need more explanation and guidance, for which abstract technical documentation is less sufficient than for the expert.

This is the curse of the good deed, as we say.

In this respect, user documentation is becoming increasingly important and relieves the community here.

The appetite comes with eating, to get rid of another saying. Wiki and How-tos are also something like the menu.

It would be best, of course, if a self-explanatory UI in combination with a use case-related documentation would make further inquiries unnecessary.

It would have often helped me if the “I’s” in the UI were provided with information.
image

Maybe we should start a community project to improve the comprehensibility and to add explanations to existing “I’s” - similar to the translation of the UI.

Finally, a few principles should be followed throughout:

  1. no form without a link to user documentation
  2. no field identifier without “I” with explanation - apart from completely trivial ones like “name” or "date

Already in the software center, explanatory I’s would significantly improve comprehensibility. Of course, we can also take the position: “What you don’t recognize, you don’t need”.

Sincerely, Marko

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15

With al this said, I would strongly emphasize that a sysadmin (in contrast to just a regular user) should have the sensibility to do a bit of investigation prior to install any software. I think we should avoid the “what does this button do” mentality.
If you decide to install a server distribution, you are aware that this potentially can have a much bigger impact on your direct environment or even external. (you don’t want a 777 access for your web-, ftp- or mail server).
With this, it should be a habit for a sysadmin to have a small investigation if something passes by that is unknown. Either by doing a search (here or using a search engine online), or just by asking in the forums.
And yes, we can be more inclusive in our howto’s that are in the wiki. Maybe a good moment for our @docs_team to have a look at the wiki and if not present, add a description to each howto.

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maybe I can help you…

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@capote That would be highly appreciated! @Jim, @dnutan or @stephdl are members of the docs team and can guide you there if you have any questions.

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Hello frist thx for this discussion.

I am in this biz more than 40 years starting with Slackware 0.9 with more than 100 5.1/4 floppys. Most of that time i am designing software and hardware. Since 2003 i am a sience wirte too for an IT magazin (IX). If i am reading every mounth the magazin, over 50% i had no chance to understand it completely. If the wrinting is interessting i will read it …

As a sysadmin too, i am looking for solutions for my Customers.

So i can take a view on many sides.

As a software guy i hat every line thats i had to write witch is not in the code.
As a admin i hate to read code to understand the functions of the code.
As a IT chief i hate to search to long for the rigth software.
As a sinience wirter i hat bad documantation and marketing blah blah

But witch sence make geninius code, when nobody use them?
Did anybody understand grub2? I think only the dev guys understand them real!
Or did anybody can boot from a RAID5 (yes this module is in the codebase)

That is what i like on Neth and XCP-NG it is the very good support.

As a IT Chief i need informations about this and with componets are possible. Same as a sysadmin noboy konws all projekts and product names. Sometime there are more than One meanings for one name

Example:
Papyrus Autor a textwriting program for storys, book and Handbooks.
Eclipse Papyrus a Modeling environment.

If the title will be “How to install Papyrus” there is no information
can not be so bad to wirte
“How to install Papyrus (Modeling env.)”

This small information tells three things Modeling Software is possible, there is somebody try this and there is a discussion (Interest) in this community.

Nobody will click on very How to to find whats behind.

You are doing a greate job, tell that everybody :slight_smile:

so Robb thx a lot and thx to the Docs Team.

I will try a How to about SAMBA AD, Domainmeber and Rouming Profiles with Windows10 2004.

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For a while, my contributed .ps floppy labels were part of the repo for Slackware. Long time ago…

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yes very very long in the Linux Stoneage.

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Please link here howto’s that are not so clear so we can fix them
What do you think?

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Sounds good :slight_smile:
I am wirting a Howto for Domain member and Rooming Profil.
But This Time is lill bit hard a lot of Work with no money :frowning:
Hope i will find a lill bit of Time :slight_smile:
in the german lookdown ligth

1 Like