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Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2016 09:39:52 -0500
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Subject: Re: Getting Started section
From: Magnus Hagander <magnus@hagander.net>
To: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
Cc: Maciek Sakrejda <m.sakrejda@gmail.com>,
 pgsql-docs <pgsql-docs@postgresql.org>
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On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 9:36 AM, Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> wrote:

> Maciek Sakrejda <m.sakrejda@gmail.com> writes:
> > I just spent some time helping a former colleague work out some basic
> setup
> > issues after he got stuck trying to follow the Getting Started section of
> > the manual [1] and almost gave up. For what it's worth, he's very
> > technical, but does not deal with Postgres setup regularly.
> > ...
> > Obviously this is not a solution for everyone, but I think packaging is
> > more common and more standardized these days, and administrators who may
> > have set up Postgres for you and can help you get started are less
> common.
>
> Agreed, but I should think that properly packaged versions of Postgres
> will come with some package-specific instructions.  Is that missing
> in Debian's version, or out of date, or did he just not read it?
>

It's definitely there for debian - it's in
/usr/share/doc/postgresql-common/README.Debian.gz


>
> It might not be a bad thing for us to add some text near the head of
> "Getting Started" pointing out that it's meant for manual installations,
> and encouraging people to look to package-specific docs when present.
>

And probably even exactly where those docs are to be found for at least the
most common platforms, I think.

The bigger question is, is it worth actually more or less importing the
contents of that into our main documentation. After all, 99% of our users
(or something thereabouts) are probably using the packaged versions, which
means that those parts of our documentation are simply irrelevant to
them... Which is not great when it's the "getting started" part.

-- 
 Magnus Hagander
 Me: http://www.hagander.net/
 Work: http://www.redpill-linpro.com/

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><br><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div class=3D"gmail_quo=
te">On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 9:36 AM, Tom Lane <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=
=3D"mailto:tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us" target=3D"_blank">tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us</a>&gt;</=
span> wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0=
px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-le=
ft-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><span class=3D"">Maciek Sakrejda &lt;<a hr=
ef=3D"mailto:m.sakrejda@gmail.com">m.sakrejda@gmail.com</a>&gt; writes:<br>
&gt; I just spent some time helping a former colleague work out some basic =
setup<br>
&gt; issues after he got stuck trying to follow the Getting Started section=
 of<br>
&gt; the manual [1] and almost gave up. For what it&#39;s worth, he&#39;s v=
ery<br>
&gt; technical, but does not deal with Postgres setup regularly.<br>
</span>&gt; ...<br>
<span class=3D"">&gt; Obviously this is not a solution for everyone, but I =
think packaging is<br>
&gt; more common and more standardized these days, and administrators who m=
ay<br>
&gt; have set up Postgres for you and can help you get started are less com=
mon.<br>
<br>
</span>Agreed, but I should think that properly packaged versions of Postgr=
es<br>
will come with some package-specific instructions.=C2=A0 Is that missing<br=
>
in Debian&#39;s version, or out of date, or did he just not read it?<br></b=
lockquote><div><br></div><div>It&#39;s definitely there for debian - it&#39=
;s in /usr/share/doc/postgresql-common/README.Debian.gz</div><div>=C2=A0</d=
iv><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;bord=
er-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:soli=
d;padding-left:1ex">
<br>
It might not be a bad thing for us to add some text near the head of<br>
&quot;Getting Started&quot; pointing out that it&#39;s meant for manual ins=
tallations,<br>
and encouraging people to look to package-specific docs when present.<br></=
blockquote><div><br></div><div>And probably even exactly where those docs a=
re to be found for at least the most common platforms, I think.=C2=A0</div>=
</div><div><br></div><div>The bigger question is, is it worth actually more=
 or less importing the contents of that into our main documentation. After =
all, 99% of our users (or something thereabouts) are probably using the pac=
kaged versions, which means that those parts of our documentation are simpl=
y irrelevant to them... Which is not great when it&#39;s the &quot;getting =
started&quot; part.</div><div><br></div>-- <br><div class=3D"gmail_signatur=
e">=C2=A0Magnus Hagander<br>=C2=A0Me: <a href=3D"http://www.hagander.net/" =
target=3D"_blank">http://www.hagander.net/</a><br>=C2=A0Work: <a href=3D"ht=
tp://www.redpill-linpro.com/" target=3D"_blank">http://www.redpill-linpro.c=
om/</a></div>
</div></div>

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