Re: [Help-gnunet] From IRC chat: ng0 asked me to post problems with the git docs.

[Diagon]

---- On Sun, 07 Oct 2018 00:19:00 -0700 Christian Grothoff <address@hidden> 
wrote ---- 

  > Hi Diagon, 
 >  
 > Thanks for the constructive feedback. I've been trying to get people to 
 > put installation instructions into 
 > doc/documentation/chapters/installation.texi and -only- there, 

Can you give me instructions how to compile this by hand, so I  can read it?

 > but 
 > despite this being easily editable by anyone involved, some developers 
 > keep throwing up instructions in all kinds of places (like the github 
 > repo Sva pointed you to, encouraging the use of non-free SaaS on top of 
 > it!).  

SaaS?  Could you let me know what you are referring to?

 > I'm not sure what to do about this, [...]

Well, I think you wouldn't have to do anything if there was reasonable 
documentation in the obvious places - ie, the web site.  Then we wouldn't have 
to go searching high and low, ending up grasping at straws.  Even if not there, 
a note that it simply doesn't exist, that 0.10.1 is "effectively abandoned", 
that a web site is in progress, that we should ... come to IRC?  Or ...?   It 
doesn't have to be pretty, just _something_.

 > You can find a _prototype_ of the new Web page at https://stage.gnunet.org/. 
 >  [...]

Looks interesting.  I'll have a closer look after this email.

 > Now, to answer some of your questions: [...] 
 > libjansson-dev 
 > This is very, very optional and new for pre66. 

I'll point out this is not in the pre66 README.  

Also, you understand that all these requirements/ optional requirements/ 
very-very optional requirements are quite confusing, particularly without 
documentation.  Where did this guy royneary on github find out?  How is it they 
know that many of the "required" packages are actually not required?  That one 
is replaceable (libgnurl) and that the one that's too old can just be left out 
(libmicrohttpd-dev)?   For me at least, as a non-developer, this is bewildering.

 > I hope this helps a bit where we are and where I hope to go! 

It helps a lot!  There is the key issue that didn't get answered, though.  
Could you help with that?  

There is one required package that is too old in both Ubuntu 16.04 and Debian 
Stretch (libmicrohttpd-dev).  How do I deal with that?  There is also an 
optional package that is too old in Ubuntu 16.04, 18.04 and maybe Stretch 
(libpulse-dev).  How do I handle that? - without damaging my system, that is.  
Also, what does libjansson-dev provide, and what version do we need?  Are there 
any other unmentioned {,{,very{, very}} optional} dependencies?

I would in addition suggest that any release (0.11.0) should be able to work in 
the most up to date Debians/Ubuntus, which does not now appear to be the case.

 > As usual, help would be welcome. 

If I can get all this clear, I am very happy to write something up about 
install in both of those Ubuntus and Devuan; but it does need to be explained, 
with the understanding that non-developers like myself have to understand.

 > Happy hacking! 

Thanks for your work.

 > Christian 

/D