samba - Feb 2002 - Doco! ARGH! (smbpasswd's not up to date on the web site)

Hi all,

	(again)

The page:-

   http://ie.samba.org/samba/docs/man/smbpasswd.8.html

does not have any description of the '-j' option.

However:-

    http://ie.samba.org/samba/ftp/docs/htmldocs/smbpasswd.8.html

does.


Why is this a big issue ? (worthof a post to the mailing list?)

because the first URL above is linked off the main 'Documentation' page
of the Samba web site (http://ie.samba.org/samba/docs/) where as the
second is several layers down under the heading "Older (but hopefully
still valid) misc docs".


So, the more complete page looks like it's less relevant!


(P.S. Is anyone else who's setting up a completely self-contained
Samba PDC having trouble coping with the wide range of doco?)


                               Mac
          Assistant Systems Adminstrator @nibsc.ac.uk
                        dmccann@nibsc.ac.uk
   Work: +44 1707 654753 x285      Everything else: +44 7956 237670 (anytime)

> (P.S. Is anyone else who's setting up a completely self-contained
> Samba PDC having trouble coping with the wide range of doco?)
I find the documentation a complete mess!  The code may be good, but I am not in
a
position to judge that.  All my problems have been because what I needed to know
was
not documented.

I understand that code-writers' priorities tend be to get the code working
and
issued.  However, unless the documentation is treated as being as important as
the
code then the code is not much use.

Evidence of this is in this list.  How often do you see the same questions time
and
time again because the information is not in the documents, or the documants are
out
of date.  It would not be so bad if there were a FAQ which covered these issues.
The FAQ on the samba.org site is based on bug reports, not on users frequently
asked
questions!

People should take a look at Exim (a mail transfer agent).  The author of that
does
not issue a new release until the documentation is revised to match the code. 
That
makes the job of the installer/configurer much much easier.

Phil.
---------------------------------------
Phil Chambers (postmaster@exeter.ac.uk)
University of Exeter

I have the same complaints about the documentation.  It seems poorly
organized and very out of date in some areas.  Enough complaining though,
who is willing to help on the documentation, and how would you volunteer???

Barry Johnson


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mac" <dmccann@nibsc.ac.uk>
To: <samba@samba.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2002 10:24 AM
Subject: [Samba] Doco! ARGH! (smbpasswd's not up to date on the web site)

> Hi all,
>
> (again)
>
> The page:-
>
>    http://ie.samba.org/samba/docs/man/smbpasswd.8.html
>
> does not have any description of the '-j' option.
>
> However:-
>
>     http://ie.samba.org/samba/ftp/docs/htmldocs/smbpasswd.8.html
>
> does.
>
>
> Why is this a big issue ? (worthof a post to the mailing list?)
>
> because the first URL above is linked off the main 'Documentation'
page
> of the Samba web site (http://ie.samba.org/samba/docs/) where as the
> second is several layers down under the heading "Older (but hopefully
> still valid) misc docs".
>
>
> So, the more complete page looks like it's less relevant!
>
>
> (P.S. Is anyone else who's setting up a completely self-contained
> Samba PDC having trouble coping with the wide range of doco?)
>
>
>                                Mac
>           Assistant Systems Adminstrator @nibsc.ac.uk
>                         dmccann@nibsc.ac.uk
>    Work: +44 1707 654753 x285      Everything else: +44 7956 237670
(anytime)
>
> --
> To unsubscribe from this list go to the following URL and read the
> instructions:  http://lists.samba.org/mailman/listinfo/samba
>

Mac wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
>         (again)
> 
> The page:-
> 
>    http://ie.samba.org/samba/docs/man/smbpasswd.8.html
> 
> does not have any description of the '-j' option.
> 
> However:-
> 
>     http://ie.samba.org/samba/ftp/docs/htmldocs/smbpasswd.8.html
> 
> does.
> 
> Why is this a big issue ? (worthof a post to the mailing list?)
> 
> because the first URL above is linked off the main 'Documentation'
page
> of the Samba web site (http://ie.samba.org/samba/docs/) where as the
> second is several layers down under the heading "Older (but hopefully
> still valid) misc docs".
The problem is that there are two sets of Samba documentation, that in
2.2 and that in HEAD.  The doco referenced in the first link is that for
HEAD, where the -j smbpasswd paramater no longer exists (moved to 'net
rpc join').  The second lot of doco is probably either 2.2 or an older
snapshot of HEAD.

Andrew Bartlett

-- 
Andrew Bartlett                                 abartlet@pcug.org.au
Manager, Authentication Subsystems, Samba Team  abartlet@samba.org
Student Network Administrator, Hawker College   abartlet@hawkerc.net
http://samba.org     http://build.samba.org     http://hawkerc.net

Sounds like you just talked yourself into a job there Phil!

-----Original Message-----
From: Phil Chambers [mailto:P.A.Chambers@exeter.ac.uk]
Sent: 19 February 2002 16:18
To: Mac
Cc: samba@samba.org
Subject: Re: [Samba] Doco! ARGH! (smbpasswd's not up to date on the web
site)

> (P.S. Is anyone else who's setting up a completely self-contained
> Samba PDC having trouble coping with the wide range of doco?)
I find the documentation a complete mess!  The code may be good, but I am
not in a 
position to judge that.  All my problems have been because what I needed to
know was 
not documented.

I understand that code-writers' priorities tend be to get the code working
and 
issued.  However, unless the documentation is treated as being as important
as the 
code then the code is not much use.

Evidence of this is in this list.  How often do you see the same questions
time and 
time again because the information is not in the documents, or the documants
are out 
of date.  It would not be so bad if there were a FAQ which covered these
issues.  
The FAQ on the samba.org site is based on bug reports, not on users
frequently asked 
questions!

People should take a look at Exim (a mail transfer agent).  The author of
that does 
not issue a new release until the documentation is revised to match the
code.  That 
makes the job of the installer/configurer much much easier.

Phil.
---------------------------------------
Phil Chambers (postmaster@exeter.ac.uk)
University of Exeter


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