We really need to organize these thread/posts better.

[rcayea]

Hey fellow Ubunters,

I was just searching around the Tutorials and Tips folder looking for specific content. While doing so I tried to use the search tool options and other helpful options on the site, but I was just overwhelmed with so many non-specific results to what I was looking for.

I propose that we should organize the forums just a little bit further than they are.

I would like to see sub-folders within each folder topic.
For example, Tutorials and Tips could be then further broken down into a folder labeled NETWORKING and a folder labeled COMMAND LINE TIPS or something like that. Or, over in the Wine folder, we could then have a folder for each game.

I think this would be a massive bit of help for folks looking for information and may even lead to less repeat posts.

I understand the use of the search options, but further organization is needed.

I would love to spearhead such a venture or help or anything to make Ubuntu and Ubuntuforums better.

What do you think?

Also, where would I officially propose this idea?

Thank you,
Randy

[ibuclaw]

Hey fellow Ubunters,

I was just searching around the Tutorials and Tips folder looking for specific content. While doing so I tried to use the search tool options and other helpful options on the site, but I was just overwhelmed with so many non-specific results to what I was looking for.

I propose that we should organize the forums just a little bit further than they are.

I would like to see sub-folders within each folder topic.
For example, Tutorials and Tips could be then further broken down into a folder labeled NETWORKING and a folder labeled COMMAND LINE TIPS or something like that. Or, over in the Wine folder, we could then have a folder for each game.

I think this would be a massive bit of help for folks looking for information and may even lead to less repeat posts.

I understand the use of the search options, but further organization is needed.

I would love to spearhead such a venture or help or anything to make Ubuntu and Ubuntuforums better.

What do you think?

Also, where would I officially propose this idea?

Thank you,
Randy

I think this is a good idea. But it seems to have come a bit too late to implement it. Moving all existing posts into their seldom categories to be frank will just take too long.

Migrating the good/best guides to the Ubuntu wiki, or another documentation effort seems more like a better idea, as they generally are organised into categories from the start, and keep to them (mostly).

So for the time being you'll just have to live with the bloat.
As Linus said in a recent interview: Is it acceptable? No. Is it unavoidable? No.

[Darkwing-Duck]

There is a project that I am working on trying to move some tutorials and HowTos over from the forums to the UDSF project (http://gwos.org/udsf). This is a resurrection from a project back in the day and my goal is to lift it back up once again.

How this differs from the Wiki is the ability to browse through the guides. It does not rely on a search for keywords for finding what you need. If you know the area you need help in you can browse for it. Or, if you are helping someone else with a project then it is very simple to find what you are looking for.

This does sound like what you are talking about. I hope that one day this little project can and will grow.

[bodhi.zazen]

Hey fellow Ubunters,

I was just searching around the Tutorials and Tips folder looking for specific content. While doing so I tried to use the search tool options and other helpful options on the site, but I was just overwhelmed with so many non-specific results to what I was looking for.

I propose that we should organize the forums just a little bit further than they are.

I would like to see sub-folders within each folder topic.
For example, Tutorials and Tips could be then further broken down into a folder labeled NETWORKING and a folder labeled COMMAND LINE TIPS or something like that. Or, over in the Wine folder, we could then have a folder for each game.

I think this would be a massive bit of help for folks looking for information and may even lead to less repeat posts.

I understand the use of the search options, but further organization is needed.

I would love to spearhead such a venture or help or anything to make Ubuntu and Ubuntuforums better.

What do you think?

Also, where would I officially propose this idea?

Thank you,
Randy

I agree, the forums are intended to be for threads / discussion. I think you are referring to documentation and for all the reasons you stated I would refer you to the doc (wiki) team.

[rcayea]

I completely understand what you are saying about the wiki. I am not trying to pick a bone, but the Tutorials and Tips is listed on the UbuntuForums page and thus makes it part of the forums.

I am wondering then, how can we make it so that these great tutorials and HOWTOs not get buried in the forums. I feel the tutorials and HOWTOs are still difficult to cluttered even when I try to narrow a search. Just a thought. Thanks for sharing the information.

[rcayea]

There is a project that I am working on trying to move some tutorials and HowTos over from the forums to the UDSF project (http://gwos.org/udsf). This is a resurrection from a project back in the day and my goal is to lift it back up once again.

How this differs from the Wiki is the ability to browse through the guides. It does not rely on a search for keywords for finding what you need. If you know the area you need help in you can browse for it. Or, if you are helping someone else with a project then it is very simple to find what you are looking for.

This does sound like what you are talking about. I hope that one day this little project can and will grow.

Hey if you need help, let me know. I would like to contribute in some way - small or not - to Ubuntu.

thanks,
Randy

[bapoumba]

In general, we try not to add categories to the forums, the architecture is already quite complicated.

[jerrrys]

maybe the quick fix would be a different search engine

http://www.googlubuntu.com/

[bodhi.zazen]

I completely understand what you are saying about the wiki. I am not trying to pick a bone, but the Tutorials and Tips is listed on the UbuntuForums page and thus makes it part of the forums.

I am wondering then, how can we make it so that these great tutorials and HOWTOs not get buried in the forums. I feel the tutorials and HOWTOs are still difficult to cluttered even when I try to narrow a search. Just a thought. Thanks for sharing the information.

I understand what you are asking, don't get me wrong. The problem is that tips and tutorials is not the Primary focus of these forums. If you had say a forums that was only about tips and tutorials it would be easier.

In addition these forums are very large and very active and the data base is huge.

So while it is imperfect, when the rubber hist the pavement and we review how to improve it, there has never been a consensus on how to make improvements.

When we take a large section such as ABT (Absolute Beginner Talk) and try to "improve' it, we get all kinds of suggestions and sub forums and structural changes.

Then when we take a poll, 75-85 % of people say it works just fine and we should not change it and the remaining 15-25 % are divided between 3-5 suggestions (this conversation has come up).

So while we are open to suggestions, understand getting information on the wiki, when you think about it, is probably the best solution. The wiki is better structured for what you suggest and, as opposed to the forums, more then one person can maintain and update the information.

Just because a tutorial is posted on the forums does not mean the forums are the best format for such information.

Also we really need to work with the wiki team as a community , both contribute to it and support it.

[Artificial Intelligence]

My favorite area is the gaming forum. If I could get what I want;


Gamin & Leisure forum
sub: Gaming Guides (native game ofcause)
sub: Wine/Cedega
sub: emulators (wii/c64/ps2/etc.)


That's my dream.

[rcayea]

maybe the quick fix would be a different search engine

http://www.googlubuntu.com/

WOW! Never saw that! There seems to be so much cool Linux and specifically Ubuntu stuff out there and it is so hard to find out about this cool stuff or difficult to promote it, too.

[rcayea]

I understand what you are asking, don't get me wrong. The problem is that tips and tutorials is not the Primary focus of these forums. If you had say a forums that was only about tips and tutorials it would be easier.

In addition these forums are very large and very active and the data base is huge.

So while it is imperfect, when the rubber hist the pavement and we review how to improve it, there has never been a consensus on how to make improvements.

When we take a large section such as ABT (Absolute Beginner Talk) and try to "improve' it, we get all kinds of suggestions and sub forums and structural changes.

Then when we take a poll, 75-85 % of people say it works just fine and we should not change it and the remaining 15-25 % are divided between 3-5 suggestions (this conversation has come up).

So while we are open to suggestions, understand getting information on the wiki, when you think about it, is probably the best solution. The wiki is better structured for what you suggest and, as opposed to the forums, more then one person can maintain and update the information.

Just because a tutorial is posted on the forums does not mean the forums are the best format for such information.

Also we really need to work with the wiki team as a community , both contribute to it and support it.

Completely understood and well written, by the way. I try to help the OOo documentation team. How would I or whom would I contact about getting involved in the wiki team?

[rcayea]

I have just fallen in love with http://www.googlubuntu.com/. Thank you so much for the reference!

Is there a forum section where simply apps and their respective home sites are posted?

I have seen various threads with this kinda thing, like, what is an app you think no one knows about?

[jerrrys]

a little off topic, but want to know more about what you have

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/13153

check out the home page

[Elfy]

There are a few search engines out there - uboontu (http://www.uboontu.com/) is another one

[rcayea]

a little off topic, but want to know more about what you have

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/13153

If this question is for me, could you please clarify?
Thanks,
Randy