Subject: Re: Suggestion for consideration.....
To: Bob Keys <rdkeys@unity.ncsu.edu>
From: David Brownlee <abs@anim.dreamworks.com>
List: port-vax
Date: 03/29/1999 18:42:02
	Its not a bad idea to split up the INSTALL file - you might want
	to bring that up on tech-install ?

		David/absolute

	Abandoning a syncing disk... or syncing an abandoned disk?

On Mon, 29 Mar 1999 rdkeys@unity.ncsu.edu wrote:

> Hi all... and kudos to everyone's fine work.
> 
> I have a suggestion, that I hope all will not take too unkindly of me,
> but, it might help one see the forest for the trees, as is said in the
> vernacular.
> 
> Suggestion:  Is it possible to cut the INSTALL guides into two pieces
>              (maybe an INSTALL.readme and an INSTALL.howto) such that
>              one does not have to continuously wade through 20 screens
>              of acknowledgements before getting to the meat of any
>              particular machine install?
> 
> There is a lot to wade through, and although I try to print out the
> particular guides ahead of time, to be covered when installing a 
> new type of machine, it would be very nice and quick, if one did
> not have to wade through page after page of leadin, just to get to
> the details of the commands to type to begin the install.
> 
> It is rather cumbersome to page, page, page, then go try it, and
> if it is not quite right, page, page, page again.
> 
> I would expect that for many folks, most of us whom have at least some
> prior unix experience or system usage, a stripped down howto with only
> the exact invocations required, would do nicely.  It is not really
> like the pmax QUICK.INSTALL, but even more stripped down so that
> one has just a list of the command line invocations required.
> 
> I always have to look twice at the INSTALLS to make sure of where
> I am going, and I am not really a unix dummy.  But, it sure would
> make things faster, and more efficient, if there were a light and
> stripped to the minimum one or two screens full to go through.
> 
> Just thinking out loud.....
> 
> Bob Keys
>