RE: Odd problem with open-ldap

["Armbrust, Daniel C." <Armbrust.Daniel@mayo.edu>]

Well then put them in as examples.  

I really don't understand the huge resistance here to putting examples into the documentation.

Knowing WHAT variables/parameters, etc need to be twiddled is more than half of the battle.  This may apply more to the BDB configuration details than the installation ones, but it's the same issue, and met with the same argument.

So what if it is impossible to create an example that is "correct" for a particular hardware/software environment.  Label the example clearly so that people know what it is intended for.  At least then there would be a starting point.

Here is the main theme of the support side of this mailing list:

Q:  I have a bug in X.X.X ancient version of openLDAP that came from random binary foo.
A:  Upgrade to the latest version - build from source.

Q:  I (like 50 other people this year) am having problem X building from source.  What's wrong?
A:  You're an idiot who doesn't know how to build software.  Search the list, and see if anyone answered another idiot like you before.

Q:  Obviously, I'm not an expert of this platform, this is why I was using a binary install before.  Where is there a guide on building the software on common platform X?
A:  Search the list.

Q:  After finding a non-official guide on XYZ website, I finally got it to install.  Now the performance sucks with BDB.  What's wrong?
A:  You shouldn't rely on non-official documentation - its probably not correct for your exact platform and use case.

Q:  Fine, whatever.  It installed and passed its own tests.  But why is it so slow?
A:  You need to configure BDB.  Search the list.

Q:  So I always have to create a file DB_CONFIG, what should I set the variables x and y to?
A:  Depends on your environment.  And set z as well.

Q:  To what?  50?  50000?  
A:  Depends.

Etc.  But I guess I live in that alternate world where we look at the common problems users have, and try to fix the software and/or documentation so that they don't occur.

And right about here is where I expect the "this is an opensource project, do it yourself" response.  To that, my response is that I would think the types of documentation and examples that I am advocating would be done best if written by a real expert of the software - which I clearly am not.  

Dan