> I don't know if this would be the kind of thing that belongs in the
> installation guide... not that it's a bad idea, but I think the
installation
> guide is for Mandrake-specific stuff applicable to most users. Having an
ATAPI
> CDR drive is a specific hardware situation that only applies to a few
users, and
> there is already plenty of documentation on the subject elsewhere (like at
> cdrecord's homepage). :)
I disagree. The installation guide needs to be for Linux, not only for
Mandrake-specific issues. That's one of the problems with Linux
distributions at this point: too much knowledge is assumed in the docs. And
that's why the HOWTOs don't work well, either, because they also make too
many assumptions.
In theory, the HOWTOs are a great resource, but the anarchical nature of the
OS is such that they tend to suffer from innattention. The kernel is healthy
because there is Linus and a core of developers who take charge of the
essential issues. There really is a need for one or more people to
coordinate the issue of HOWTOs, push custodians to make needed updates, and
enlist new custodians where those now in place do not keep things current.
Any Linux distro will succeed or fail on the ability of a new user to
install it and get it running with a minimum of pain. Newsgroups help, and
so do mail lists, but the first place we logically turn is to the
documentation we received in the distro.
William Meyer
