Putting little notes about things like the JDK 1.3.1 linux issue are VERY
useful. I hate it when M$ have docs that don't mention things such as "none
of your data is encrypted, by the way"
Not that I'm bitter 8o)
Adam.
On Wednesday 11 July 2001 14:58, you wrote:
> Christopher Cain wrote:
> > "Rob S." wrote:
> >
> > [snip]
> >
> >>First off, I think we should have an ultra-quick install guide. If
> >> you're like a lot of geeks, you know your stuff. You need to know a
> >> quick few steps, a quick 2-3 gotchas, and BAM that's it. I want to make
> >> sure the quick-and-dirty "impatient" install is available to the people
> >> who can take advantage of it; admins experienced with other containers,
> >> trying Tomcat for the first time perhaps.
> >
> > +1
> >
> >>PI.2.1: I love pictures! Some nice diagrams in here would go a lllong
> >> way. Not sure about the "choose OS" or "install Java" sections. I mean,
> >> there's catering to the LCD and there's catering to the LCD...
> >
> > I haven't yet had a chance to look over the TOC (planning on doing it
> > tonight), but one of the docs I have lying around is a step-by-step on
> > installing java on Linux *specifically* in preparation for a Tomcat
> > build/install. Granted, the README file hits the important stuff, like
> > what needs to be in the CLASSPATH, etc. I was actually thinking of
> > morphing it into a more general (and quick) guide to preping your OS for
> > a Tomcat build/install (I have some Windoze notes lying around as well).
> > I could very quickly touch on Java installation, including a few
> > Linux-specific tips above and beyond the rather obvious actual install,
> > cover the environment varibles that need to be defined for a build,
> > reiterate the "jakarta" directory structure that needs to be in place,
> > etc. Basically, everything up to the point of the actual build.
>
> That would be great, and that's pretty much what the TOC outlines (though
> not in that detail). The problem with having OS-specific quick-and-dirty
> install guides is that if one aspect changes, the separate guides get out
> of sync. I'd suggest you clearly divide the following three parts:
>
> - Pre-install
> - Standalone install
> - Integrating with Web server
>
> Since that's the structure I'm using in the major parts of the Install
> Guide of the TOC.
>
> > Well, my thoughts on the aforementioned doc I was planning are to
> > provide a list of the available JDKs for each platform, what else one
> > needs to download for certain optional functionality (SSL, etc.), where
> > to get each of them, and any relevant comments on software selection.
> > Mainly just the huge stuff, like the infamous "Sun 1.3.1 JDK for Linux
> > completely broken under the new gcc threading libraries." (That one
> > really pissed me off.) This might fall under the category of "too much
> > information" as Rob is stating, but my feeling is that it is easy enough
> > to skip over entire sections (assuming they're laid out logically) in a
> > "Preping your OS for Tomcat" doc, and those users who are planning on
> > building out a new box (or reformatting an existing box) specifically
> > for a web server will appreciate such heads-up info. Getting Tomcat up
> > and running on a barebones OS install is pretty rare for us developers,
> > but it happens quite frequently in the corporate world. The bigger the
> > master Tomcat documentation library, from the essentials to the
> > sublimely tangential steps along the way, the more comfortable
> > corporations will feel about choosing Tomcat over a proprietary
> > solution. As long as someone is willing to write such things, which in
> > this case I am, why not just throw it in the mix for the few people who
> > might benefit from it? Of course, I completely agree that there also
> > needs to be some short-and-sweet versions of how to do install-type
> > things, so maybe an abbreviated version of my Preping doc would also be
> > in order.
>
> I like it. Please see how it would fit in with the proposed pre-install /
> standalone install chapters.
