Part 4 of 8 - General2 (SLS Wiki Migration)

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#1

This is the fourth of a series of eight separate posts, with a list of the SLS “How-To” wiki’s, that we have tentatively reviewed (internally) and hope the new merged forum members/mods, … etc … selectively move to the openSUSE wiki. (Note this list was initially posted internal to SLS).

This list was initially refered to from here:
WIKI MIGRATION - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED !! - openSUSE Forums

The original SLS wiki’s are here:
SuSELinuxSupport: HowTos

Some of these HOW-TO’s are quite old and not so useful (or are obsolete). Others are old and still very current, and some are relatively new and up to date.

I hope sometime after the merge, to post these lists (or an agreed edit subset of these lists) to the general forum membership, and get their views/help in the migration of the SLS wiki’s. Of course this is simply my view, and discussion and comments on this is most welcome.

So below is the 4th of the 8 posts.

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HOWTOs - GENERAL (2nd section)

#2

Hi oldcpu. I’d be happy to assist with these:

Part 4 of 8:

  • HowTo: Set Disk Access Permissions for Users on a Desktop PC (VFAT & Linux Native)
    http://wiki.suselinuxsupport.de/wikka.php?...cessPermissions
    Applicable: SuSE-9.x/10.0 and openSUSE-10.1/10.2
    Proposed solution: Update and Convert to openSUSE wiki (need to reflect libata).
    Proposed URL: Disk access permissions - openSUSE
    Credits: Storm & Swerdna’s web site

Recommendation looks sound to me.

  • HowTo: Mount your NTFS Partition for Read/Write Access in openSUSE 10.2
    SuSELinuxSupport: HowToNTFS
    Applicable: SuSE-10.x
    Proposed solution: Do not convert to openSUSE wiki, but rather update existing openSUSE wiki. Swerdna to review this recommendation please
    Proposed URL: n/a
    Credits: Swerdna

This one: SDB:Write Access To NTFS Partitions - openSUSE should be deleted (is that possible) or if not possible should have a php redirect to this one: NTFS - openSUSE. And the SLS wiki item in the quotes above should be merged with the latter i.e. NTFS - openSUSE.
Actually what does one do about all of these:
ntfs site:en.opensuse.org - Google Search ??
Swerdna

#3

SDB:Write Access To NTFS Partitions - openSUSE
is marked as valid for SUSE 9.1.

The SDB articles are a bit specific, they are not meant to be deleted as they have information for what version they are valid, although it is for newer articles, written after SDB was imported to wiki, arbitrary and I would not be surprised to see version defined as 10.0 and newer, which is not good, as author actually knows only the first and last version it worked.

I guess that we need some template like Obsolete that will offer current version, or Changed_Procedure with reference to current article for any article, even for those that talk about unsupported versions.

Actually what does one do about all of these:
ntfs site:en.opensuse.org - Google Search ??

Consolidate them. The openSUSE wiki is still understuffed considering people that will do organization of articles. For instance NTFS - openSUSE could be disambiguation page, or index for all articles related to NTFS. If one uses ‘ntfs’ as search term it will bring up that page and then user can choose particular topic.

Rajko.

#4

So is there a mechanism or preferred pathway for me to transfer/amalgamate stuff into the dot org wiki? I’ve got an interest in a significant number of articles from the SLS wiki that could benefit the dot org wiki and would like to nkow if/how I can proceed without too much blundering. I did look around overthere and found it, hmmm… bewildering in its randomness. So glad of advice.

#5

Swerna, thats a good question. I have wondered myself about that.

In the meantime, I have setup a tracking matrix, for keeping note of who has volunteered to do what HOW-TO migration to a WIKI.
SLS-how-to migration to openSUSE wiki - progress tracking - openSUSE

Please, could you fill in the areas that you would like to look after. … I sort of figure you may wish to be the main co-ordinating volunteer for every HOW-TO / WIKI that corresponds to a guide on your web site (but you don’t have to - this is up to you).

Many thanks for your efforts.

#6

I’m looking right now the SuSELinuxSupport: Welcome to SuSELinuxSupport

The problem and the good is that everyone logged in openSUSE wiki has right to write, so randomness in style and topic naming is byproduct, that sometimes makes finding stuff harder, and sometimes not. You can find articles with same topic written 2 times under sinonyms, for instance wifi and wireless. It is result of different terminology that is common in different parts of the world.

The rules how to write articles are right now very basic and not really up to date, but its currently the only one we have OpenSUSE Style Guide - openSUSE
I wanted to write one with more details based on Wikipedia rules, but gave up as everybody was happy when there was contribution, and more rules will not encourage new authors.

The basic rule I use if I want to consolidate few articles is to look for existing articles and merge them.
For HOWTO please read, and add if you find something is missing: Help:Writing HOWTO - openSUSE

The NTFS is already commented. The topic needs restructuring and everybody would benefit from that. When restructuring topic I look how easy is to find articles from openSUSE search perspective. If I type ‘ntfs’ it should give me relevant article or index of articles that talk about topic. All other considerations, like enabling browsing trough manually created indexes or semiautomatic categories is extra work that didn’t gave good results by now.

The other article about setting permissions seems new to me, so just move it over, and list under HOWTOs - openSUSE .

Regards, Rajko

#7

Not to be rude but if you had a TOC like this that was VERY clear from the first page User:Last2kn0 - openSUSE.

Rather than this Welcome to openSUSE.org - openSUSE would make keeping the structure a lot easier to maintain and people would more than likely contribute in the correct place.

Someone has left a comment in the main talk page it it is very true, Frontpage redesign - openSUSE

Take somebody you know and never has been to openSUSE.org before. Tell him to find help/support on that site. Stop the time until the user finds the links to help/support. My guess: it takes ages to even get to the page where one could find it because the frontpage does not even mention support/help and wiki is not a synonym for those words.
Take the same person and stop the time until he finds help/support on Ubuntu Home Page | Ubuntu.
Compare both sites’ performance.
Tell that person that one has to click on wiki, stop the time until the person finds help/support on the following page. My guess: it takes ages because help is only mentioned once and as a tiny, tiny link and that link does not even link to helo/support but to download-help.
Sorry to be that sarcastic, but one could think that opensuse.org maintainers do not expect a lot of users to come to this site looking for help.
My suggestion, put a big fat icon on the frontpage and the following that displays a question-mark and a link below it that states: help/support

#8

The sadder thing is nearly 18mths ago this was also bought to light. [opensuse-wiki] Re:Wiki cleanup](http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-wiki/2007-02/msg00020.html)
Your response create a portal that doesn’t clean up or restructure the wiki that is just a band aid.

As for SDB’s they’re creating even more confusion in an already confused wiki. If a SDB isn’t good enough to be a howto why is it there then? No page should be version specific the wiki has version banners and supporting entries for 9.1 is absurd.

I wonder how many of those pages I highlighted still exist or have been merged.

#9

From my perspective, once an author has provided the technical content, some one else can easily go in and tune the format to be consistent.

Typically IMHO best to wait a bit, then very very politely ask the author if they would not mind if some one else modified the presentation of their wiki a bit, with a format change (that did not touch the technical).

Its a good idea, I think, to strive for a common format. It may take some time and effort, if it is to be done in a way that does not scare off the contributers, but I think it is worth the extra effort to go about it in a polite manner, but in a determined non-offensive manner (ie very carefully walk the narrow path). :slight_smile:

#10

Wiki editors need to be BOLD and not care for small feelings. If people can’t take being edited or criticism they shouldn’t be wiki editors as for asking the original author please…

Wikipedia would of died in the first year.

Wikipedia:Be bold - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

#11

oldcpu wrote:

> From my perspective, once an author
> has provided the technical content,
> some one else can easily go in and tune the format to be consistent.

That is what I do most of the time, but after long stretch of fixing format
I got tired. The truth is that I feel better in a bigger company where one
can share ideas and work. I’m loud defending my ideas, but once discussion
is over I’ll defend decision in the same way as mine opinion before.

> Typically IMHO best to wait a bit,…
> … with a format change (that did not
> touch the technical).

For that I don’t ask permission. If format is not right than I’ll make it.
If something is not defined in http://en.opensuse.org/OpenSUSE_Style_Guide
then I go to mama of all wikies (Wikipedia) and look for the answer.

> Its a good idea, I think, to strive for a common format. It may take
> some time and effort, if it is to be done in a way that does not scare
> off the contributers, but I think it is worth the extra effort to go
> about it in a polite manner, but in a determined non-offensive manner
> (ie very carefully walk the narrow path). :slight_smile:

If we set as a rule, written or not, that there are wiki editors, and they
read and edit all contributions, then nobody will complain. Being bold as
FeatherMonkey said, doesn’t exclude gentle way to bring things in something
accepted as norm.

Thank you and all other interested, for the effort to save forum wiki
content.

–
Regards, Rajko
http://en.opensuse.org/Portal needs helpful hands.

#12

Thanks to rajko_m, oldcpu and FeatherMonkey.

OK a bit of closure (ha ha is that ever possible in a “frank and friendly” discussion): @oldcpu you can put me down to transfer to the dot org wiki the article SuSELinuxSupport: HowToSetupDiskAccessPermissions
based on the revised version I put here: Suse: HowTo set disk access permissions for Fat32 (VFAT) on a desktop PC.

And you can put me down to merge whatever is good from the SLS wiki with whatever is good in the dot org wiki for the two NTFS articles; namely this one:
SuSELinuxSupport: HowToNTFS
merged into this one:
NTFS - openSUSE

So I have no questions oldcpu about doing this for the first article because I wrote it. But about the second I have this question because I didn’t write the one in the dot org wiki: What about the original author?

#13

I think you are refering to the exisiting openSUSE NTFS wiki ? … If you wish to contact any of the contributing authors, the only way I know how is to click on the ‘history’. Then click on the name of the contributors. That will take you to their page on openSUSE. In some cases they leave a link for further contact, … in some cases they don’t.

Note a wiki, being a wiki, means any change made is tracked, and can be undone. Hence on one is doing anything irretrievable.

Also, if you think it better to create a separate page, … that can be done. Just make up a new URL. … I think the fewer pages the better, BUT sometimes its just not practical to merge. Thats your call, and I’ll support it.

I hope to move some HOWTO’s to wiki’s myself in the not too distant future. … I just need a bit of a rest after making the various posts, and structuring the posts/table for tracking … etc …

Thanks for your help, and feel free to edit the “tracking” page if you wish.
SLS-how-to migration to openSUSE wiki - progress tracking - openSUSE

#14

I understand that – I’m working on thinking about getting up the energy to go through the other seven posts in your set of eight, to see what’s on the full list that I might be interested in. But if I do take some on, it would be OK to take a very long time to do the job, would it not?

#15

I see this as a job that will take some time. … and even after the HOW-TO’s are moved to openSUSE Wiki format, I am hoping that the community then helps us technically review and maintain them.

#16

FeatherMonkey wrote:

> Your response create a portal that doesn’t clean up or restructure the
> wiki that is just a band aid.

The wiki is place where anybody logged in can add article and improve or
ruin any structure, and both of that happens all the time. It is not web
page where content is filtered before publishing. The index of articles
that one finds useful is the only way to make wiki useful. If you don’t
believe check Wikipedia.

–
Regards, Rajko
http://en.opensuse.org/Portal needs helpful hands.