Subject: Re: [vserver] Roadmap and Future ...
From: Dallas Kashuba <dallas@dreamhost.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:04:59 -0800


On Feb 27, 2009, at 3:35 PM, Ed W wrote:

> Dallas Kashuba wrote:
>> Assuming, an updated website is deemed worth the time and effort  
>> (I'm not convinced it is, but it couldn't hurt)...
>
> Everyone seems to be trying to redevelop what site we have already -  
> I think I was misunderstood on this point.  Please lets keep all our  
> current docs, but add a fancy front end for all the "what is vserver  
> all about" type content..
>
>> I agree that wordpress might be a good choice for the basic  
>> website.  We are using it for the website of our own open-source  
>> project, using an 'off the shelf' theme with some minor  
>> modifications:
>>
>> http://ceph.newdream.net/
>>
>> We are just linking out to the mediawiki wiki rather than making  
>> any attempt to incorporate it into wordpress.
>
> Cool - do you have the ability to offer vserver something similar  
> for the front site?

The hosting part is no problem, if that's something that's needed.

Wordpress is even easier to install than Mediawiki.  Also, the
DreamHost setup has what we call a 'one-click install' that
essentially just creates the mysql db, does the 'wget/tar xzf' part
for you, and then generates the config.php file as needed by the mysql
that was just created.  You can also upgrade the install down the road
with one-click when new versions come out.

Doing it 'by hand' doesn't take much longer or much more technical
know-how.


Once you have it installed you just pick a theme from somewhere like
here...

http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/

And then maybe stick the logo on top.


One minor problem with sticking something like wordpress in as the
main website is the potential URL conflicts with the existing
mediawiki.  For instance, http://linux-vserver.org/Documentation
already points to a wiki page now.  We can't use linux-vserver.org for
both the wiki and the wordpress unless they live on the same server.
That means we'd have to a) put the wordpress on the current wiki
server, b) move the current mediawiki to where the wordpress will be,
or c) come up with a new hostname for either the wiki or the website
and keep them split apart.

I just noticed that http://wiki.linux-vserver.org/Documentation does
also work, but searching google for 'linux-vserver documentation'
takes you to http://linux-vserver.org/Documentation without the 'wiki'
part.  If we were to switch the wiki to wiki.linux-vserver.org, we'd
want to at least try to make all the existing URLs continue to work
through some redirection magic.  Continuity of the information trail
is pretty important.

Anyway, that can be sorted out, but it's something that should at
least be considered when contemplating how best to address the needs
of the 'website improvement project 2009'.


> I personally have zero problem with the documentation link on the  
> main site suddenly shooting off to a media wiki site.  After all  
> it's what every other business seems to be doing right now...   
> (Random example, visit snom phones and click on their support site  
> and you get to.... media wiki site)
>
>
> Ed W


Yeah, I agree.

	Dallas