Re: [PATCH] Quick-start guide

[ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès)]

Hi!

myglc2 <myglc2@gmail.com> skribis:

> This is the correct goal, but the manual as it stands is problematic for
> first-time users for reasons such as: it's overwhelmingly copious;
> information is "shredded" into different sections; the is confusing
> terminology; finding one's way around is difficult; there is virtually
> no guidance of what to read first or how to proceed.

Woow, that’s a lot of room for progress.  :-)

I think all of these issues need to be clarified and addressed.

The problem for me as a maintainer is that we don’t have a test suite
for the manual.  So I cannot simply apply a big patch and run “make
check” to ensure that nothing “broke” in the manual.  So I’m both
receptive and demanding here ;-), because it’s often the case that
editing the manual is more work than adding a couple of paragraphs here
and there.

> I see this patch as an attempt to address some of these difficulties.

Sure, my concern is about the duplication of information and additional
maintenance burden that ensues.

> I suggest we add a new "Getting Started" section between "Introduction"
> and "Installation". "Getting Started" should initially include a
> discussion of how to decide whether to install Guix or GuixSD and
> quick-start sections for each.

That sounds like a good idea.  To begin with, would you like to propose
a “Guix Quick Start” section that we could put between the “Features”
and “Invoking ‘guix package’” sections?

Thanks,
Ludo’.