Is there any project to incorporate a manual inside the software of Boinc, or at least a help function.

That would resolve a lot of problems as well as avoid to have unneeded questions coming up all over again in the threads.

> Is there any project to incorporate a manual inside the software of Boinc, or
> at least a help function.
>
> That would resolve a lot of problems as well as avoid to have unneeded
> questions coming up all over again in the threads.

Once again, you're assuming people will use it.
:-)

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Grant
Darwin NT

> Is there any project to incorporate a manual inside the software of Boinc, or
> at least a help function.
>
> That would resolve a lot of problems as well as avoid to have unneeded
> questions coming up all over again in the threads.
>
>
I agree. A help file of the most common issues that could be accessed on or off line through BOINC would help many out there. It doesn't need to be as complicated as the Windows help files are but just something basic that helps guide you through the most common problems in setup and operation.

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To truly explore, one must keep an open mind...

> Once again, you're assuming people will use it.
> :-)

At least some of them will do it. The others will still posting here.
But at least the ones who wants to read it will have at least a help function that gives them the possibility to use it and to look inside it.

All actual software have a build-in help, so why not trying to resolve a part of the problems we have now by doing so?

> > Once again, you're assuming people will use it.
> > :-)
>
> At least some of them will do it. The others will still posting here.
> But at least the ones who wants to read it will have at least a help function
> that gives them the possibility to use it and to look inside it.
>
> All actual software have a build-in help, so why not trying to resolve a part
> of the problems we have now by doing so?
>
>
Hi Thierry, We chatted breifly the day before you went on the trip, and you wondered how your puters would do while you were away. How did they do? I guessed that seconds after you left that you'd lose power and when you returned you'd be at the Logon screen (LOL).

I kind of like your Help idea, but here's a couple personal thoughts.

1) it would increase the size of the already large download that we Dial Up users have to endure and that might be a source of more contention.

2) I haven't seen a "Help" file that actually did help. I have yet to find an occasion where they covered anything more than the very basics. for example, The MS help/troubleshooter is a joke. HP troubleshooters are a joke. Autocad troubleshooters, and most all others are a joke.


tony

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1) So you make the helpfile a seperate download. Progess shouldn't be held up because some users are still on dial-up.

2) A help file isn't meant to cover anything more than the very basics of the software.

.

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> Hi Thierry, We chatted breifly the day before you went on the trip, and you
> wondered how your puters would do while you were away. How did they do? I
> guessed that seconds after you left that you'd lose power and when you
> returned you'd be at the Logon screen (LOL).

Hello Tony,

Everything was running fine, have a robust host here, selfmade, with excellent components and an excellent power supplier ;)
But, somebody at home here apparently had to restart the host. As Boinc runs only on my account, with a password to logon, Boinc has not been running for 3 days. No big deal, my cache isn't set at a high value. People need to be smart ;)

> I kind of like your Help idea, but here's a couple personal thoughts.
>
> 1) it would increase the size of the already large download that we Dial Up
> users have to endure and that might be a source of more contention.

Maybe by using a chm file this wouldn't need to be too large.

> 2) I haven't seen a "Help" file that actually did help. I have yet to find
> an occasion where they covered anything more than the very basics. for
> example, The MS help/troubleshooter is a joke. HP troubleshooters are a joke.
> Autocad troubleshooters, and most all others are a joke.

Depends on who is putting the help file together ;~]

I have found a very comprehensive manual at the following site:

http://boinc-doc.net/index.php

The site owner has apparently worked long and hard in putting this together for use by all -- thanks, Paul

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> I have found a very comprehensive manual at the following site:
>
> http://boinc-doc.net/index.php
>
> The site owner has apparently worked long and hard in putting this together
> for use by all -- thanks, Paul

Yes Paul did, and still do, a fantastic work on this, very probably for more then 12 months.

He and a lot of people here are refering to it BUT still too much people don't read it. Is it because they are too lazy or is it because they are still using the old and slow classic modem, or maybe both, how knows!

From there the idea to have a kind of help file, or manual, build inside the software.

> still too much
> people don't read it.

MOst people dont need to read it as BOINC isnt too hard to manage

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<BR>AMD XP3200+
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<a href="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/paulandrew.odell/">MY SITE!</a>

> MOst people dont need to read it as BOINC isnt too hard to manage

I'm not sure at all about it.

Did you ever had a look at the "Questions and answer" forum.

100's of questions coming up, nearly 30-40% of them are the same all over the time.

> I have found a very comprehensive manual at the following site:
>
> http://boinc-doc.net/index.php
>
> The site owner has apparently worked long and hard in putting this together
> for use by all

The writing effort started about this time last year ... so, yes, it has more than a year's worth of work in it ... it started out as a FAQ only and has grown to its present size and complexity ...

To be honest, it is at the point where even *I* have trouble finding information in it ... :(

BUT, just recently added was full site search ... so, you can search for the magic words and get page lists.

As a matter of fact, as I write this I am copying up the latest pages. Not much totally new material, but lots of link fixes, content update, and just general changes ...

I have suggested that a capability be added to the BOINC Manager to link out to the help sites, like mine, but as of now it, obviously, has not happened. WIth a link out the deliverable size does not increase and the user is free to point to any help site they wish.

> -- thanks, Paul

You are welcome ... :)

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Even if there was a link to Pauls documentation available inside the BOINC managers "HELP" pulldown, could add a little more to the situation.

And @ Paul, glad to hear about the serch feature, as I am a lazy one, and always prefer the softer , easier way :-)

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> Even if there was a link to Pauls documentation available inside the BOINC
> managers "HELP" pulldown, could add a little more to the situation.
>
> And @ Paul, glad to hear about the serch feature, as I am a lazy one, and
> always prefer the softer , easier way :-)

Yeah, since the start of this year I have added, at other's request, the FAQ with the ability to make comments to extend the FAQ and the search with phpDig ...

I even index in the FAQ pages so the phpDig search (look for the search button in the top right corner) will search both the php pages and the database driven FAQ pages.

If I rebuild the site completely it takes me about 5 hours to upload (about 30min to an hour) and index the site ...

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> 2) I haven't seen a "Help" file that actually did help. I have yet to find
> an occasion where they covered anything more than the very basics.

Many of the questions being posted are the very basic ones.
If people just took the time to check a couple of the links under Participate they'd find the answers there, but apparently it's all too hard.

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Grant
Darwin NT

well as far as i am bothered i have enough links suplyed from people on here to go and read info online to help with seti and anything i can not find or understand i have some wonderful people on boards like this to ask and 99.9% of the time i get an answer that not only will help me but many others who are not confident in asking for help

tex

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texpete83
<img src="http://www.wuschelkiste.de/setistat/boincwap/counter_detailed.php?id=36513&amp;project=seti">
<img src="http://www.esea.dk/esea/boincschedulers.php" height="95">

> well as far as i am bothered i have enough links suplyed from people on here
> to go and read info online to help with seti and anything i can not find or
> understand i have some wonderful people on boards like this to ask and 99.9%
> of the time i get an answer that not only will help me but many others who are
> not confident in asking for help

Yes, but it's generally considered good netiquette to at least check out whatever information is readily available on something before asking for help.
It helps keep those that are answering the questions in a much better disposition.

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Grant
Darwin NT

also u find a help file is writen by the person/ persons who wrote the program so it can be a little underminding to the novice but when u ask here u get strieght answers to questions and 99% of the time in a way the novice can easly understand :D

tex

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texpete83
<img src="http://www.wuschelkiste.de/setistat/boincwap/counter_detailed.php?id=36513&amp;project=seti">
<img src="http://www.esea.dk/esea/boincschedulers.php" height="95">

> also u find a help file is writen by the person/ persons who wrote the program
> so it can be a little underminding to the novice but when u ask here u get
> strieght answers to questions and 99% of the time in a way the novice can
> easly understand :D

tex,

This is true. But it is also true that most of the answers given here are summary in nature ... I have been refining answers to questions for a year now and when I answer one here I know that there is a LOT of stuff that is glossed over.

I will admit that the sheer mass of material is somewhat daunting, but, for those of us that "patrol" here and try to answer questions, the repition of people asking "What is Credit and how do I get some?" type of question does, um, get old.

In defense of those that *DO* ask that very question I will also point out that I am sympathetic to the issue that there is no CLEAR and UNAMBIGIUOUS pointer to any of the sites like mine that attempt to provide those answers.

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> This is true. But it is also true that most of the answers given here are
> summary in nature ... I have been refining answers to questions for a year now
> and when I answer one here I know that there is a LOT of stuff that is glossed
> over.

And thanks a lot for that Paul !!

> I will admit that the sheer mass of material is somewhat daunting, but, for
> those of us that "patrol" here and try to answer questions, the repition of
> people asking "What is Credit and how do I get some?" type of question does,
> um, get old.

Agree 200% ;)

> In defense of those that *DO* ask that very question I will also point out
> that I am sympathetic to the issue that there is no CLEAR and UNAMBIGIUOUS
> pointer to any of the sites like mine that attempt to provide those answers.

That is why I made this other suggestion.