Hi
I still have this on my todo list ... I post it here to hear your opinions,
and because we have only the SDB namespace atm.
Did i miss something? To be honest i thought it would be much more, but i
don't know what else to write :-)
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Howto/SDB/FAQ?
There is some confusion about the definition of howtos, SDB articles and FAQs.
This page tries to explain the main differences between the different styles
to write documentation.
Why a different namespace for them
Working with namespaces makes searching much easier and you can see on the
first look what it is.
The different types
howto
From the wikipedia definition "A how-to is an informal, often short,
description of how to accomplish some specific task. They are generally meant
to help non-experts, and may leave out details that are only important to
experts, and may be greatly simplified from an overall discussion of the
topic."
This describes perfectly an SDB article :-)
Anyhow, most howtos are much more for experts and often more verbose. An
example for an howto is SDB:Wireless_LANs_with_SuSE_Linux.
So howtos in the openSUSE wiki are more verbose than SDB articles. If you just
want to write a short article consider to put it into the SDB.
Howtos have a separate namespace, so all Howtos should start with howto:
SDB article
SDB (Support Database) was a SUSE invention. The goal is to provide a short
and easy to read article for the customer/user how to fix a problem. The
focus was to make it easy and to use graphical tools where possible. A SDB
article should be always problem related.
Because there was only the SDB before the openSUSE wiki, you will find also
some articles which are from the definition a howto.
Check the SDB:Howto for more information about SDB articles.
SDB have a separate namespace, so all SDB articles should start with SDB:.
FAQ
A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) follow a different style. Example:
Q: Is it possible to install SUSE Linux on a computer with a i486 CPU?
A: No, SUSE Linux support CPUs from Pentium 1 (and compatible ones) on.
FAQs are a good way to summarise topics. It could make sense even if a howto
or SDB article already exist. Some howtos include a FAQ, usually at the end
of the howto.
FAQs have a separate namespace, so all FAQs should start with FAQ:.
--
with kind regards,
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Martin Lasarsch, Subsystems
+49 911 74053 181 +49 179 206 74 74
SUSE LINUX GmbH, Maxfeldstr. 5 90409 Nuremberg
martin.lasarsch(a)suse.de
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simply change to www.suse.de
