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Old   May 27, 2012, 10:57
Default [Discussion] Restructuring the Installation page at openfoamwiki.net
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Bruno Santos
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Greetings to all!

I'm starting this thread to discuss the restructuring of this page: http://openfoamwiki.net/index.php/Installation
I know that the wiki page has a discussion page of its own at the wiki, but that's barely read/answered by anyone

And I'm honestly becoming very tired of constantly answering almost the same things over and over and over and over.... and not matter how many blog posts I can write, how many answers I write, they'll only postpone what needs to be done: we must restructure the Installation page at the openfoamwiki.net

So, to start off (instead of creating havoc and chaos on my own) here is the proposed structure:
  1. Installation page:
    • Introduction - chapter (or is it section?) where it's explained how the content is distributed. And focus that officially only Linux is supported and that variants/forks aren't officially supported/endorsed.
    • Linux - a chapter explaining that these instructions could/should work with POSIX compatible Operating Systems (BSD, HP-UN*X, etc...). Then shows a list sub-pages or a sub-category tree for Linux installations.
    • Mac OS X - a chapter explaining that this is very similar to POSIX, but not quite the same... or something like that. Perhaps also focus on the details that need to be kept in mind: must use a case sensitive mount and so on. Then shows a list sub-pages or a sub-category tree for Mac OS X installations.
    • Windows - a chapter briefly explaining the situation... and then shows a list sub-pages or a sub-category tree for Windows installations.
  2. Category: Installing OpenFOAM on Linux
    1. Category: OpenFOAM 2.1.x
    2. Category: OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
    3. ...
  3. Category: Installing OpenFOAM on Mac OX
    1. Category: OpenFOAM 2.1.x
    2. Category: OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
    3. ...
  4. Category: Installing OpenFOAM on Windows
    1. Category: OpenFOAM 2.1.x
    2. Category: OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
    3. ...
The advantage of using categories is the possibility to use the automatic tree system shown here: http://openfoamwiki.net/index.php/TestWyldckat - uses this wiki code:
Code:
{{#categorytree:OpenFOAM guide|mode=pages}}
Although categories are used, the pages would then be placed like this:
  • Installation
  • Installation/Linux
  • Installation/Mac OS X
  • Installation/Windows
  • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 2.1.x
  • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
  • ...

Copy-paste-modify instructions is pretty easy, so to me it makes sense to have a page per version/variant.

As for Linux distributions, since some details change considerably (e.g. Fedora et al use "module load"), there are two possibilities that should be considered/discussed:
  • Use the "hide" feature that AFAIK openfoamwiki.net doesn't have yet, but where specific instructions for each distribution+version (e.g. Fedora 16) would be visible only upon clocking the link "show/hide".
  • Or use the category system:
    • Category: Installing OpenFOAM on Linux
      • Category: Installing OpenFOAM on Fedora
        • e.g. Category: OpenFOAM 2.1.x


So here it is, the idea I've brewed so far. If this is already in discussion elsewhere... I'm not familiar with it


I think there are some details here that escape me, such as "OpenFOAM 2.1.x" being a sub-category of "OpenFOAM on Linux", but I think that this might be overcome by the page title itself. For example, the category tree would look like this:
  • Installing OpenFOAM on Linux
    • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 2.1.x
    • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
    • Installing OpenFOAM on Fedora
      • Installation/Linux/Fedora/OpenFOAM 2.1.x

edit: In case of situations such as Debian and Ubuntu behaving almost identically, a page could be tagged with both categories: "Installing OpenFOAM on Debian" and "Installing OpenFOAM on Ubuntu", for the same page "Installation/Linux/Debian/OpenFOAM 2.1.x".

Best regards,
Bruno

Last edited by wyldckat; May 27, 2012 at 11:00. Reason: see "edit:"
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Old   May 28, 2012, 11:15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wyldckat View Post
Greetings to all!

I'm starting this thread to discuss the restructuring of this page: http://openfoamwiki.net/index.php/Installation
I know that the wiki page has a discussion page of its own at the wiki, but that's barely read/answered by anyone

And I'm honestly becoming very tired of constantly answering almost the same things over and over and over and over....
Much appreciated

Quote:
Originally Posted by wyldckat View Post
and not matter how many blog posts I can write, how many answers I write, they'll only postpone what needs to be done: we must restructure the Installation page at the openfoamwiki.net
Agreed

Quote:
Originally Posted by wyldckat View Post
So, to start off (instead of creating havoc and chaos on my own) here is the proposed structure:
  1. Installation page:
    • Introduction - chapter (or is it section?) where it's explained how the content is distributed. And focus that officially only Linux is supported and that variants/forks aren't officially supported/endorsed.
    • Linux - a chapter explaining that these instructions could/should work with POSIX compatible Operating Systems (BSD, HP-UN*X, etc...). Then shows a list sub-pages or a sub-category tree for Linux installations.
    • Mac OS X - a chapter explaining that this is very similar to POSIX, but not quite the same... or something like that. Perhaps also focus on the details that need to be kept in mind: must use a case sensitive mount and so on. Then shows a list sub-pages or a sub-category tree for Mac OS X installations.
    • Windows - a chapter briefly explaining the situation... and then shows a list sub-pages or a sub-category tree for Windows installations.
  2. Category: Installing OpenFOAM on Linux
    1. Category: OpenFOAM 2.1.x
    2. Category: OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
    3. ...
  3. Category: Installing OpenFOAM on Mac OX
    1. Category: OpenFOAM 2.1.x
    2. Category: OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
    3. ...
  4. Category: Installing OpenFOAM on Windows
    1. Category: OpenFOAM 2.1.x
    2. Category: OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
    3. ...
The advantage of using categories is the possibility to use the automatic tree system shown here: http://openfoamwiki.net/index.php/TestWyldckat - uses this wiki code:
Code:
{{#categorytree:OpenFOAM guide|mode=pages}}
Although categories are used, the pages would then be placed like this:
  • Installation
  • Installation/Linux
  • Installation/Mac OS X
  • Installation/Windows
  • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 2.1.x
  • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
  • ...

Copy-paste-modify instructions is pretty easy, so to me it makes sense to have a page per version/variant.

As for Linux distributions, since some details change considerably (e.g. Fedora et al use "module load"), there are two possibilities that should be considered/discussed:
  • Use the "hide" feature that AFAIK openfoamwiki.net doesn't have yet, but where specific instructions for each distribution+version (e.g. Fedora 16) would be visible only upon clocking the link "show/hide".
  • Or use the category system:
    • Category: Installing OpenFOAM on Linux
      • Category: Installing OpenFOAM on Fedora
        • e.g. Category: OpenFOAM 2.1.x


So here it is, the idea I've brewed so far. If this is already in discussion elsewhere... I'm not familiar with it


I think there are some details here that escape me, such as "OpenFOAM 2.1.x" being a sub-category of "OpenFOAM on Linux", but I think that this might be overcome by the page title itself. For example, the category tree would look like this:
  • Installing OpenFOAM on Linux
    • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 2.1.x
    • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
    • Installing OpenFOAM on Fedora
      • Installation/Linux/Fedora/OpenFOAM 2.1.x

edit: In case of situations such as Debian and Ubuntu behaving almost identically, a page could be tagged with both categories: "Installing OpenFOAM on Debian" and "Installing OpenFOAM on Ubuntu", for the same page "Installation/Linux/Debian/OpenFOAM 2.1.x".

Best regards,
Bruno
Sounds like a plan. What I'd propose would be the following:
  1. Copy/paste the content of the current page to somthing called Installation/OldMonolithicVersion (I'm not sure, but I think in this case renaming/moving would mean trouble)
  2. On top of the old page add a remark to the effect "This page currently under construction. Have a look at OldMonolithicVersion"
  3. Start hacking away
Also I'd propose to mark sub-pages for OS where on knowledge is available with a remark "Maintainer wanted"

Bernhard
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Old   May 29, 2012, 07:13
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Thanks for your initiative Bruno. This is really overdue, there's lots of installation related text on the wiki that is hopelessly outdated, making it hard to find the actual information.

About the category tree, organizing according to OpenFoam versions (as follows) seems more natural to me than the tree you suggested, but I think that's subjective.

- Anton

Quote:
Originally Posted by wyldckat View Post
For example, the category tree would look like this:
  • Installing OpenFOAM on Linux
    • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 2.1.x
      • Installation/Linux/Fedora/OpenFOAM 2.1.x
    • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
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Old   May 29, 2012, 15:36
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Hi Bernhard and Anton,

@Bernhard: OK, as soon as I can, perhaps next weekend, I'll start hacking away through the pages

@Anton:
Quote:
Originally Posted by akidess View Post
About the category tree, organizing according to OpenFoam versions (as follows) seems more natural to me than the tree you suggested, but I think that's subjective.
I'm not certain how to do that structure with categories... It'll take some experimentation...

[RANT]
After the conclusions that were inevitably reached with the Nucleation project, the only logical thing right now is to do documentation in the fully open wiki, instead of overblown scripting - although it was a good exercise - so this way people can learn and experience more about the shell, instead of hogging all of the experience to ourselves
[/RANT]

Keep ideas coming!

Best regards,
Bruno
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Old   May 30, 2012, 03:00
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wyldckat View Post
@Anton:
I'm not certain how to do that structure with categories... It'll take some experimentation...

Does this look better? (I switched 2.1.x and Fedora)
Quote:
  • Installing OpenFOAM on Linux
    • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 2.1.x
      • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 2.1.x/Fedora
    • Installation/Linux/OpenFOAM 1.6-ext
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Last edited by akidess; May 30, 2012 at 03:01. Reason: grammar
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Old   August 1, 2012, 16:54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by akidess View Post
Thanks for your initiative Bruno. This is really overdue, there's lots of installation related text on the wiki that is hopelessly outdated, making it hard to find the actual information.

About the category tree, organizing according to OpenFoam versions (as follows) seems more natural to me than the tree you suggested, but I think that's subjective.

- Anton
I'm more at home with the above kind of categorisation. Under each version of OpenFOAM, there could a page with specific instructions for each Operating System like Fedora, SUSE, Ubuntu etc.
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Old   August 6, 2012, 18:33
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Originally Posted by shreyasr View Post
I'm more at home with the above kind of categorisation. Under each version of OpenFOAM, there could a page with specific instructions for each Operating System like Fedora, SUSE, Ubuntu etc.
For practical reasons I'm more in favour of having more general instructions and describing the differences. Because otherwise certain pages might become hopelessly out of date if no one with that specific distro bothers to update them
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Old   August 7, 2012, 06:01
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gschaider View Post
For practical reasons I'm more in favour of having more general instructions and describing the differences. Because otherwise certain pages might become hopelessly out of date if no one with that specific distro bothers to update them
The problem is if there are several differences... but duly noted
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Old   August 11, 2012, 17:48
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FYI: I've began the restructuring process.
For now, I'm doing stuff sort-of in the back-doors and not editing the main Installation page.
The current entry point is this: http://openfoamwiki.net/index.php/Installation/Linux

For now, it seems that we can get 2 types of category tree listings in the same tree (and maybe also possible in separate trees):
  • Per Linux Distribution.
  • And per OpenFOAM version/variant.
I'm still writing the first pages, so this is still subject to evolution pains
I've got the idea that the generic source code installation instructions can be written using templates, which would make it easier to write and maintain a lot of stuff... but it's still too early to decide
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Old   August 12, 2012, 17:57
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OK, I think the base structure is all laid out: http://openfoamwiki.net/index.php/Installation

The old monolithic page has been copy-pasted and referred to at the top of the page.

The category tree seems rather clumsy right now, but the only using sub-categories in the tree lacks detail, while the sub-pages prefix listing mode is hard-coded to 3 columns...
oh well, optimum is the enemy of good

Next weekend(s) I hope to do the following:
  • Finish writing the page http://openfoamwiki.net/index.php/In...OpenFOAM-2.1.1
  • Take care of moving and revamping the cross-compilation pages for Windows.
  • Move the instructions for Mac OS, if no one else does it before I do
  • Start adding more versions and copy some of the stuff I already have in my blog here...
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Old   May 5, 2013, 12:44
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Greetings to all!

It's been a while since I gave some feedback on this.

The last few days I've been in a bit of a vacation and I managed to focus on taking care of some of the things I wanted to do. This included updating and adding installation instructions, including:
Just for reference, the following pages are still mid-way (started to write them, but haven't finished them yet):
And from the previous post, the following are still waiting as well:

Quote:
Originally Posted by wyldckat View Post
  • Take care of moving and revamping the cross-compilation pages for Windows.
  • Move the instructions for Mac OS, if no one else does it before I do
Best regards,
Bruno
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