[BusyBox] Documentation ideas

[Erik Andersen]

On Mon Jul 16, 2001 at 04:50:18PM -0000, Wendel M. Leibe wrote:
> 
> On Mon Jul 16, 2001 at 03:03:25AM -0400, Tom Cameron wrote:
> > 	That being said, I do know that most (if not all) of the people on
> > this list have gone through exactly what you're going through, and would
> be
> > willing to help you out in any way they could (by sending you notes about
> > how they built their system, etc.).
> 
> So why don't we do something about it....  I realize that BB itself has a
> limited purpose, but everyone who wants to use it needs it as part of a
> bigger
> picture...  A very small distro of Linux.  Let us at least provide links to
> help
> other developers get up to speed as quickly as possible.  I think it is
> foolish
> to just sit on our knowledge without documenting it.

If you read my reply to this thread, you already know that there are now _two_
examples of how to make a bootable busybox system that have been provided by
the developers of busybox (i.e. people like me).

As to it being foolish to "sit on our knowledge without documenting it", by all
means I invite to you document things.  I know I have written a _lot_ of
documentation for busybox (and I hate writing documentation).  I've been
working on busybox now for nearly two years.  I set up mailing lists.  Wrote
README files and set up a bug tracking system.  And I have answered literally
thousands of emails from people asking me how to use busybox for their
application.  I hardly call that sitting on my knowledge.  I find your reply
offensive.  What have you done to help beyond expecting me to use my free time
to cater to your unspecified whims?

> I also think that your script is fine for you, but it doesn't tell the newbie
> what the hell is going.  

Read the docs.  Learn things.  Then ask questions.  You will find that
polite specific question almost always get useful specific answers.

> Lets face it Slackware is not as popular as Redhat.  Which direction is BB
> going to take?

I have no idea what you are talking about.  Nobody here is advocating Redhat
_or_ Slackware or anything else.  I personally use Debian on my desktop.
Nobody cares.  This isn't a forum for desktop/workstation popularity contests.


BusyBox is desktop/workstation agnostic.  People use BusyBox to build embedded
systems.  Those embedded systems are not Redhat, or Slackware, or Debian or
anything else.  They are simply embedded systems that run Linux and BusyBox and
uClibc/glibc, and whatever else people feel like including.

Whatever incomprehensible thing it is you are advocating here, I don't get it,
and it isn't working.

 -Erik

--
Erik B. Andersen   email:  andersen at lineo.com
--This message was written using 73% post-consumer electrons--