229502 - Mozilla How-to's / Frequently asked questions

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(www.mozilla.org :: General, defect)

Description

[Robert Accettura [:raccettura]]

Often Webmasters, network admin's need to point users to information on how to
configure their browser (enable cookies, setup proxy server, etc.

Mozilla.org should have an established set of pages in a perminant linkable
(only one item per page) format that websites can link to.  They should contain
info for all platforms.

The following is a good example (but in a somewhat obscure, inconsistant location):
http://mozilla.org/editor/midasdemo/securityprefs.html

But note it doesn't describe how to perform the function for all operating systems.


The advantage of gathering these items, and creating a section on the site is
very beneficial:

Webmasters can easily point Mozilla users to necessary info, rather than writing
hard to understand documents, and potentially incorrect info.... creating a web
of conflicting info on the web.

Users can quickly learn where to go for info.

http://texturizer.net/firebird/

is a the best so far, is:
http://texturizer.net/firebird/faq.html

But it's not offical.  I don't think large companies will be willing to link to
an unofficial (but good) webpage describing how to enable cookies and such.

The solution is a mozilla.org hosted series of pages documenting such common
skills.  That webmasters can easily find, and link to.

Comment 1

[Daniel Wang]

www.mozilla.org/catalog/end-user/
www.mozilla.org/start/1.6/faq/
and bug 178685

Robert, can you do a sample page of what you are looking for? Your bug
description is kinda too general to tackle

Comment 2

[Robert Accettura [:raccettura]]

I'll try to get an example together soon (I'm a bit busy with the holidays and
everything).

I think something like this:
http://texturizer.net/firebird/cookies.html

is pretty adequate.  But we need more articles of this quality, on more topics.
 And officially hosted.

Part of the problem is that mozilla.org lacks the *official* documentation. 
Many large websites (in particular banking websites) document how to
disable/enable Javascript, cookies, etc.  They perfer to link to official
documents fromt he software developers.

Apple has the Kbase (previously known as TIL), Microsoft has it's Knowledge
Base.  Mozilla doesn't have an all encompasing set within it's domain.

The pages should meet thse requirements:
-  Hosted on mozilla.org, and match in page design, being *official*
-  Cover all platforms (applies mostly to install, and few specific issues)
-  Indexed
-  ?searchable?

Companies aren't going to link to unofficial sites very easily.  But they will
link to official documentation.  Part of working to endusers is providing such
docs.  And it would help the evangelism effort if webmasters could easily point
to docs telling the users how-to's in Mozilla.

Comment 3

[Robert Mohr]

Such as the links on the bottom half of <http://www.mozilla.org/docs/end-user/>?  

Since his pages are mentioned multiple times, CC'ing David Tenser.

Comment 4

[Robert Accettura [:raccettura]]

>Such as the links on the bottom half of <http://www.mozilla.org/docs/end-user/>?  

Not quite.

Take HIdden Prefs for example:
http://www.geocities.com/pratiksolanki/

No explanation in simple easy to understand terms (like David Tenser's pages). 
It's hosted on Geocities (do you see a large company point users to a Geocities
page?).


Look at for example some Apple Articles
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=32442
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=32454
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=32429

Searchable, consise, easy to read.  Official.  No doubt they are from Apple. 
Permalinked, and not going to disappear overnight.


On a second note, documenting some well known bugs/differences from IE may cut
down on dups in Bugzilla.  Push end users to the Knowledgebase rather than let
them drift to Bugzilla.

Comment 5

[Robert Mohr]

Ok, but pages like <http://www.mozilla.org/docs/end-user/keywords.html> are
pretty good.  

We should probably find a way to move the Geocities page to m.o and update it to
show <about:config>.  CC'ing its author.

Comment 6

[Robert Accettura [:raccettura]]

Exactly.  That's a pretty good one.

But they are unorganized, and all over.  Look at the midas one in the first
comment.  Why is it over there?

Mozilla.org needs one clear location for this (already existing, or created). 
The location should be indexed and searchable.  It should be linkable.  It
should cover all platforms.  It should be up to date.  

This is essential for Firebird 1.0.  It's hard to push corporate users, and
webmasters to support it officially, when the docs are so limited, and hard to find.

I don't think this is a giant project.  I think a majority of the info is out
there already.  It's a matter of gathering, sorting, sifting, updating, and
putting together.  We don't need to reinvent the wheel.  We just need to get 4
wheels, put them on Mozilla.org so that they touch the ground, and hookup an
engine to them.  Then Mozilla can roll.

Comment 7

[Robert Accettura [:raccettura]]

Resolved by Mozillazine

:-D

Comment 8

[Jesse Ruderman]

Robert was referring to http://kb.mozillazine.org/.