Re: Is my MySQL Gaining ?

Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> Wrote:
> BTW, I'd not be in favor of separating out the Tutorial into a separate
> document again, precisely because we would lose the ability for it to
> easily cross-reference the main docs.

I understand your point.  I was just thinking that the other documents are
aimed at experienced users, and that the Tutorial as of now, does not seem
to fill the need for a beginner.  I understand that there is a lot of
resistance here to including other generally useful information such as
database design basics, as it would require more maintenance than simply
putting PostgreSQL-only material in the docs.

However, my question is this-- how much more work (long-term) would it take
to maintain a set of links to resources we have no control over compared to
including information such as this in the Tutorial?  If the material is
truly generic, then once we have a good set of resources then maintenance
will not be a large issue, and cross-linking will be far easier because we
have control over the documentation.  It may be more work at first, but in
the end, I think it will solve more problems than it creates.

I guess the current format is good-- 4 books more or less integrated into
one.   BTW, I took another look at the tutorial, and it is far better than
it was in previous versions.  I still think it needs some expansion (and
would be happy to help).  Or perhaps we should add another document-- The
Beginner's Guide, or would this be better handled by Techdocs?

Best Wishes,
Chris Travers