Now I've noticed a lot of questions on the board which already have an entry in the Tips and tricks. However, tips and tricks is a huge place, and includes some articles dating back to mandrake 9.1.

It's a formidable repository of knowledge and HOWTOs, and we're not getting its full potential. My suggestion is to categorize the tips and tricks section into these:

1) software and kernel HOWTOs
2) hardware HOWTOs
3) networking HOWTOs
4) desktop/eye candy HOWTOs

I think 4 categories is enough...but please feel free to suggest some. This would a) lessen duplicate questions on the board, make it easier to keep documents/HOWTOs up-to-date c) make it a much better browsing experience

whatcha' think?

sounds reasonable. i am in favor of this change although i would not throw kernel stuff into one pot together with software howtos. it is better keeping these apart.

It sounds good to me too... but the question is technically how .. do we want sub forums or force organisation like in HOWO's...

To me tips n tricks should be less formal than a howto or FAQ and need less structure... a perfect example being the 'speed up your firefox' (one of my best 2 minutes read anytime:D)

So to me its a balance between making it simple for people to post without following detailed formats and also perhaps more topical than FAQ's.. for instance if a certain MDK RPM version has a problem that can be circumvented then it can be a tip ...

If we categorise the 4 (or 5 with arctic's suggestion) categories how to stop those trivialising others?

Im open for details on this and pleased someone else is interested too so lets keep this list coming!

Tips&Tricks has always been a disaster box since the very beginning (even at mandrakeuser.org I remember discussions about what to put on it and how to classify it). In fact the FAQ forum is in some mode (and sure in its origin was) an answer (or at least a patch) to the problem (in some ways a mub-faq was a tip&trick that had own merits to scape from the disaster. Of course now the FAQ forum is solid and have heavy independent posting rules that avoid the mess).

What do I mean with that? IT IS NOT AN EASY TASK!

Of course now I'm not a regular member anymore so maybe I can't put my opinion here. And for sure that I've found nice surprises this days about how the board is now structured, lots of good work has been done since I'm out (among other things I've just discovered the WorkBench forum right now); but I'm sure that a "good and well structured" tips&trikcs forum that solves the problem, needs a huge and well thought technicall and human effort that IMHO can't be acomplished w/o a full and constant dedication, otherwise we'll never have a good tips&tricks section.

Just my 2cents

well, as a first step, the categories should be created...that way all the new tips and tricks are posted in the right place, assuming a constant flow of new HOWTOs. then people can start marking and moving the old tips and tricks to the correct categories.

I usually find myself wandering around there trying to find links in answer to questions on the forums. this could help somewhat.

do it in a wiki. simple as that. heck nobody rose to the challenge when I started this wiki page. :(

the FAQ posts have been in some way gone this route wherein tips and tricks were linked and cross-linked. the wiki front will allow users to do a more collaborative effort rather than relying on a handful of group who might become busy with their everyday lives (no aru, that applies to all of us ).

ciao!

I can install PhpWiki on this board if any of you want it.

i dont think there would be many takers. anyway im already at home with paul's wiki system as im using it as a personal post it space. i say we use it so as not to increase the administrative burden of this site (besides i want to make sure the paul gets concentrated to paul ) as well as bandwidth.

its not really an issue because the wiki (a new one should be created) is only a place holder of the tips and tricks in this board. or something like that. darkelve currently has exhausted my mind juice.

ciao!

Well first we should check that enough people agree and go through the proper process but I have no objections to this..however I agree with aru's observations that this will need time and energy...


posting tips n tricks in the right place will be as problematic as posting help request in the right place. Just check how many posts are moved and on the mod forum we often discuss if others should be moved and genrally the main reason why not is we tend towwards not moving them without a strong reason...

Just for example... if i get my palm synching is the hardware or software? Hmm at first glance its hardware but then it ends up possibly being a KERNEL recompile ... or just compiling a visor.ko module which makes it software?

the wiki idea might be best... because we are kinda using the wrong tool in using a BB to post tips n tricks!

Im open to all suggestions... as Im sure the board will be but lets get the input and stuff first before deciding anything?