Arch Linux

rfg

Member

Registered: 2012-11-06

Posts: 11

Just a couple of WIKI suggestions

I've been using Linux on and off for quite a long time, but things evolve and change, and I've forgotten a lot.  Also, I'm a real newbie when it comes to ArchLinux specifically.

So anyway, I'm in the process of installing the thing, and just following along as best as I can the very helpful WIKI install instructions.  I was doing just fine until I got down to the part of this page:

   https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_Guide

that says that after you have partitioned your disk you need to format the partitions and then mount them.  OK, No problem.  Heck!  I can do that!  I even managed to figure out on my own that there is this special magic command... not mentioned on the page above... that you need to use in order to prepare a partition for use as a swap partition. (On FreeBSD, which I am far more accustomed to, there is no such command and _nothing_ needs to be done to prepare a partition for use as swap space.)

In a similar vein, I had to go off and do a bit of googling when I was utterly stumped by the entire notion of having to "mount" the swap partition (as the page above advises one to do).

I quickly found the info I needed, but I just wanted to suggest that the page at the link I've given above could be improved I think, especially for "newbies", by adding some more hyperlinks, specifically in the two (terse) sections that talk about formatting and mounting partitions.  It wouldn't hurt, I thnk, to have a link to a page describing how to do an ordinary mkfs, another link to a page describing mkswap, another link, to a page about mount, and finally a link to a page about the swapon command.  (I assume that what was really meant when the suggestion was made to "mount" the swap partition was actually that one should do a "swapon" for the partition, yes?)

Just tryin' to be helpful.

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: Just a couple of WIKI suggestions

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/In … partitions has a link to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Swap What info is missing?

Why not use https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners%27_Guide instead?

Edit: You can use man pages: 'man mkfs', 'man mount' etc.

Last edited by karol (2014-01-14 09:08:02)

jasonwryan

Anarchist

From: .nz

Registered: 2009-05-09

Posts: 30,424

Website

Re: Just a couple of WIKI suggestions

Moving to Forum and Wiki discussions...

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Arch + dwm   •   Mercurial repos  •   Surfraw

Registered Linux User #482438

Gulver

Member

Registered: 2013-05-24

Posts: 208

Re: Just a couple of WIKI suggestions

You don't have to mount swap in normal boot and there is no need one for installation process.

However, in beginner's guide it says you mkswap and then you turn it on, swapon. Then booting after generating an fstab, you realise you don't have to include your swap line in fstab.

tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: Just a couple of WIKI suggestions

The Installation Guide that you followed is the only official document covering installation, and it is intended for the same audience as Arch itself i.e. people who know what they're doing, and who know where to look for supplementary information. It is, and will remain, terse, as you put it.

As already suggested, the Beginners' Guide is intended for the category of user you're thinking of here.

snis

Member

From: Stockholm, Sweden

Registered: 2010-06-02

Posts: 10

Re: Just a couple of WIKI suggestions

I am willing to agree with rfg, perhaps the Installation guide should include a reference in the "header section" to the Beginners guide.

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: Just a couple of WIKI suggestions

perhaps the Installation guide should include a reference in the "header section" to the Beginners guide.

Ummm: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_Guide

This document will guide you through the process of installing Arch Linux from the live system booted with the official installation image. Before installing, you are advised to skim over the FAQ. See Beginners' Guide for a highly detailed, explanatory installation guide. Category:Getting and installing Arch contains several more installation guides for specific cases.

Emphasis mine.

I think tis is enough.

Raynman

Member

Registered: 2011-10-22

Posts: 1,539

Re: Just a couple of WIKI suggestions

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/In … partitions has a link to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Swap What info is missing?

I don't think anything is missing, but I agree that the word "mount" is not very clear and could be changed to "activate" or "enable" (which is the word used on the swap page).