Installation Guide v4.1.x/Archive 1

Page Contents

Being new to PGV, When I go to the Installation page I expect to get straight to the point and see details of what is needed to get PGV installed and running.

I probably only expect to see headings such as the ones below. I think the Intro and general text about what PGV is and what what it's used for are better placed outside the installation guide - for example they could go into the Main_Page or a page linked it.

I can make these changes myself, but it will need some pretty big edits so I wanted to see what people thought.

PhpGedView Prerequisits

The following headings briefly describe what the software is and where to get it.

Installation

The following headings have details about how to install each of the components listed above for several OS's

Post-Installation Configuration

This sections deals with all post-installation configurations that are common to all/most OS's.

OS Specific Configurations

This section has details of any OS specific configurations.

Some comment

I agree that this page needs a cleanup (along with the readme file). It's supposed to be an Installation Guide, not a Reference. Let's keep it simple and link to more information if needed.

• I believe there are tools for doing wiki-to-text conversions. It might e worth maintaining documentation online and simply doing wiki-to-text conversions at release time. --Nathanhaigh 06:35, 5 October 2007 (EST)

1. The info about the versions is really important only to those who upgrade, and should be merged with the upgrade chapter (most of Chapter 2). It's safe to assume that new users are going to install the newest version available.
2. Instead of Beginners vs. Intermediate (Advanced, More Advanced etc.), let's have a Quick Install.
3. Things you need + xxx Preparation = Requirements / Prerequisites. "Optional Prerequisites" sounds like oxymoron to me :)
• Yes it is a bit! Oh well, you got my meaning! --Nathanhaigh 06:35, 5 October 2007 (EST)
4. Some information in Chapter 3, like themes or languages, would make a great Configuration chapter. The rest, like database tables or non-standard codes, doesn't belong there.
5. Chapter 4 belongs to Developers Guide.
6. Licensing info usually comes last.

To sum up, I would have: short introduction, quick install, requirements, installation, upgrade, post-install tasks / configuration, and license. I don't think that division by OS is necessary, all you need to know is how to copy files and change their permissions under your OS, and you probably already know that. I would do without OS-specific (and other) screenshots, too - just to make it short and sweet. --Cathy 04:26, 5 October 2007 (EST)

• In essense, it needs to e concise and deliver what you expect from an Installation guide; otherwise people just won't get past the first couple of paragraphs. I'll make a start tomorrow by doing some shuffling and reorganising into the above mentioned headings. Thanks for your input. --Nathanhaigh 06:35, 5 October 2007 (EST)