User talk:Astaecker/Computer

"All in one" Computer articles with transcluded pages
Wouldn't it be better to use transcluded pages(i.e VIDEO_CARDS | foo) then template box links? Most of these hardware articles will share a great deal of content. --Ni1s 23:21, 3. Dez. 2011 (UTC)


 * That way has several drawbacks:
 * The information is not complete. You cannot put all the information of each article in a computer article. The computer article gets really big. And each information is somehow important. You don't help a newbie, if you only mention the kernel and emerge steps, but not the configuration part. Transcluded pages don't help here.
 * The information gets outdated, if not maintained. Transcluded pages do help here, but have to be maintained.
 * The information is not shared. If only computer article has some good information for a device, the editor of the next computer article is not aware of the information, so writes only the normal informations. Transcluded pages do help here.
 * Transcluded pages are a workaround for some drawbacks, but no solution for the entire problem.
 * --Astaecker 06:57, 4 December 2011 (UTC)


 * With transcluded pages, you would have to make a page for each possible device if you want to be complete in a computer page. This information can be easily shared by pointing this out in the template, I'm thinking of category pages within the computer namespace (like  and  showing all documented hardware for a certain category.
 * Such a device page does not have to be large, just the lspci or /proc/cpuinfo output and a kernel usage template would do as a bare minimum.
 * It would be even better to separate the specific device (lspci output) and the used driver by transcluding the driver page in the device page. This way, many different graphics cards devices can use the same nouveau information. Besides, if an editor is lazy, he can point to the driver only.
 * Maintenance is always a problem, regardless of the chosen solution.
 * Perhaps it's possible to dynamically link/include those transcluded device pages in the big table. That way, an editor only has to look up the correct device pages and create a specific computer page using only a big table. Computer specific notes can also be added if applicable, and linked from the notes column.
 * Summarizing: I see the potential of a combination of big table and transcluded pages. The only drawback I see is complexity without the proper template help pages.
 * --Wimmuskee 10:27, 4 December 2011 (CET)


 * Made a kind of example at User:Wimmuskee/Computer/example using your templates as a base. Note that I not quite figured out the "if constructs" and parsing stuff yet, but it should show my line of thought.
 * --Wimmuskee 16:10, 4 December 2011 (CET)


 * I understand your solution, it is in some ways better than what I seen on gentoo-wiki.com and I will gladly helping out with the templates, if we decide using this solution, but I have one big objection against it, which is solved by the big table solution.
 * And this is my point #1 above: You cannot put all information about the setup of a computer in one article. It simple gets too big. Restricting the information is no way to go, because important information are missing then. Also important explanations will be cutted, so the remaining informations can also be merged in one big kernel configuration, emerge package list and configuration tarball. The big table solution is optimized for complete information, the g-w.com way for a quick first install. I see the wiki also as a way to to give people an understanding of Linux and Gentoo Linux, so I'm for the complete information.
 * --Astaecker 16:57, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

The table might need couple more columns, such as pros and cons. I like the idea of transcluded pages, since most often a system is build on many shared components - so it would be easier to maintain just single article for each component vs many articles mentioning same info over and over. )mitri 04:55, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
 * Sure. Do as you think. Let's complete the table and then decide. Astaecker 06:11, 29 July 2012 (UTC)