Users Manual for MX-19

[Zeh]

That is a somewhat round about way for someone who may have just installed MX - a bit more guidance wouldn't go amiss.

And let alone the possibility that that someone doesn't master the English language and is using a translated manual...

[Eadwine Rose]

Solution: if RTM doesn't work, please ATF.

Another solution: do something, like help translate the thing.

[Zeh]

Solution: if RTM doesn't work, please ATF.

Not sure if this could be a solution. Certainly not until I get a decodification of what ATF stands for, which I couldn't find after a search on the Internet. Taking RTM as "Read The Manual" it just gets us back to the complain itself...

Another solution: do something, like help translate the thing.

Well, You're not aware, but I did start translating the thing, back already a couple of years ago. In the process I've realized that the user was/is systematically being sent to outside material in English via links: videos, web pages, help info. So, I thought to myself that if the user is systematically sent back to material in English than he is expected to master the English language. Hence, it doesn't make much sense for me to spend a lot of time translating material from English for people that are supposed to know English.

So, getting back to the matter proper, maybe the solution would rather be someone helping to clarify the info on the manual as suggested (posts #45, 48, 50), for instance...

[Eadwine Rose]

Ask the forum (ATF) if reading the manual isn't enough.

Plainly put: It is not possible to put everything in the manual like you seem to want. Also.. as far as I know only two or three people are actively working on it. Remember we are a SMALL team.

[Zeh]

Plainly put: It is not possible to put everything in the manual like you seem to want. Also.. as far as I know only two or three people are actively working on it. Remember we are a SMALL team.

I perfectly know that the MX team is a small team. As said, I've been involved with it somehow for more than a couple of years now. What I don't know is what you mean when you say that I "seem to want" something:

#45 Post by mxer » Sat Jul 25, 2020 12:25 pm
Something is missing - I couldn't find how to turn off automounting of external disks!

I think it should have something about how to turn it off, because it really annoys me no end, having disks auto mounted.

#48 Post by mxer » Sat Jul 25, 2020 1:15 pm
In case others are having difficulty with this, it's

Edit - Preferences - Advanced - Volume Management - Enable Volume Management

(Volume Management - it's not under Disk Manager.... )

It's much easier & more obvious on AntiX....

I still think there should be a searchable item to be able to turn off automounting, not everyone wants it.

#50 Post by mxer » Sat Jul 25, 2020 1:20 pm
That is a somewhat round about way for someone who may have just installed MX - a bit more guidance wouldn't go amiss.

Plainly put: if you are not able to satisfy a request, just say you can't satisfy it, don't start telling the request doesn't make sense or the users are asking too much or users just complain and do not help or something alike.

[SwampRabbit]

MX Tweak > Other > Enable mounting of internal drives by non-root users

Settings Manager > Removable Drives and Media > Removable Storage > 2 options there for those types of drives

Unchecking those doesn’t stop them from being automounted?

[asqwerth]

I think the posters are suggesting some edits to the manual to propose better solutions to their problems, rather than wanting help with a problem?

However, I think we're rather shorthanded right now so it might be better if the posters actually come up with the actual wording and changes you wish to propose to a specific section/page etc of the manual.

[SwampRabbit]

I think the posters are suggesting some edits to the manual to propose better solutions to their problems, rather than wanting help with a problem?

I figured that, but I think I knocked out two birds with one stone.

IMHO the manual is getting a bit out of control. Users should want to and be exciting to explore the OS and all that is in it, not be spoon feed every little thing because that’s impossible anyway.

Also I think our wiki is a better place for some of this stuff, I’d like our wiki to be of the quality of say Arch, Gentoo, or Debian.

Anyway... moving on lol

[Zeh]

I think the posters are suggesting some edits to the manual to propose better solutions to their problems, rather than wanting help with a problem?

That's what I thought as well when I've seen the post on the matter. I jumped in just to raise the issue of it potentially being even less easy to find some "not so clear info" in a translated version of the manual.

However, I think we're rather shorthanded right now so it might be better if the posters actually come up with the actual wording and changes you wish to propose to a specific section/page etc of the manual.

Chapter 3 mentions peripherals (section 3.1) but doesn't mention internal drives. So, to me there is some point in raising the issue.
I'd suggest that a 3.0 section be added
«3.0 Internal disks
Internal disks and partitions may be configured to automatically mount on startup. To change configurations use the tool Disk Manager.
Check also MX Tweak, "Other" tab, for mounting internal disks/drives by non root users.»

I'd also suggest that the paragraph
«SSDs
Newer machines may have SSD: a solid state drive that has no moving components. These drives tend to accumulate blocks of data that are no longer considered in use, slowing down this very fast drive. To prevent this from happening, MX Linux runs a TRIM operation on a weekly schedule that you can view by opening the file /var/log/trim.log.»
be moved from it's current position just before 3.1.6. to immediately after the suggested 3.0 section.

Finally, I'd suggest that the sub-section 3.1.5 Storage be moved to the beginning of the section (and renumbered, naturally) since I find storage devices the most relevant of all peripherals and having it immediately after the info about internal disks configurations would make it easier to spot and to understand the whole mater of mounting and unmouting drives/devices.

[Zeh]

IMHO the manual is getting a bit out of control.

Agree.

Users should want to and be exciting to explore the OS and all that is in it,

I'd say that that would depend on your target users. If your target users include newcomers from other OSes that aren't so keen about OSes but rather want a reliable and easy to use OS, then I think you should understand their position. Anyway, the sole ones entitled to define the target users are the MX team members. I am not, for sure.

not be spoon feed every little thing because that’s impossible anyway.

Agree, provided there is a common understanding on what spoon feed may mean. The line between proving helpful info and spoon feeding can be very thin, so there should be some defining of what is supposed to be what in a matter like this.

Also I think our wiki is a better place for some of this stuff,

Agree again, particularly regarding the info in English. If you want to think of non English speaking users,than some thought on the matter would be useful again.

I’d like our wiki to be of the quality of say Arch, Gentoo, or Debian.

Here we get back to the fact that the MX Linux team is a small team I guess...