On Thu, 18 Dec 2003, Craig White wrote: > I am so honored that you took the time to help - now that I finally > slurped it and got it all configured - even on self generated > certificates - LDAPS - this has been the experience that I really feel > as though each lesson was learned after hours of head banging.
No meed to feel too honored. Samba is a bit of a preoccupation of mine. I started to update the documentation to help reduce to level of pain we see on the mailing list. I feel sorry for Jerry Carter and Jeremy Allison. I have bugged both of them to death to get myself up to speed so that I can document this stuff. What bugs me more than anything though, is the realization that it is impossible to write crystal clear documentation that everyone can read and understand. Even more so, it is impossible to clearly index what has been written so that everyone can find what they are looking for. The problem is human nature - dang, it gets right in the way of finding answers! When we get all heated up by frustration the neuron transmitters and receivers of the brain somehow don't work the same way as they do when we are calm. :) I love it whan someone says, "The Samba documentation is confusing!" It is true - everything is confusing when your head is all clouded up. But how can we avoid that? I am seriously searching for that magic manner of expression that gets poor befuddled people out of the rut. The writing of the new book "Samba-3 by Example" is a big challenge. I am finding the going much slower than expected. The example cases are so simple in concept, but good example solutions are difficult to prepare and take an incredible amount of preparation. One has to choose real examples, communicate real problems clearly, and then deploy the solutions in such a way that the un-initiated can make it work. No sooner do you get it straight, and a vital piece of software is updated and things no longer work. Writing examples of implementations that are platform agnositic is a joke. It does not happen - the Encyclopedia Britanica would be too small to contain all the permutations and combinations of potential glitches. There is a world of difference between being able to install software and make it work, and writing clear instructions that someone else can follow. For that, one has to crack the edges off many areas, realise where people mis-read, mis-implement, etc. and then document all the tid-bits that matter. I find it takes around 6 repeat installs of every example to find the warts. I can assure everyone, writing documentation is a thankless, exasperating, and largely unrewarding exercise. And just for the record: I go through exactly the same head-banging as everyone else (just ask Jerry! :)). So from someone who has been humbled and who knows how it feels, noone is alone in the pain they suffer through learning, finding bugs, and finding rewarding solutions. Fight on! The victory is sweet! :) Cheers, John T. -- John H Terpstra Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To unsubscribe from this list go to the following URL and read the instructions: http://lists.samba.org/mailman/listinfo/samba