Thanks, Anita. Your comments help alleviate several of my concerns. However,
the actual migration process still seems pretty random to me. I can see that
the FAQ you provided is indeed helpful with installation, setup, etc. of
iTools, but the process of getting from WebTen to iTools could be assisted a
lot more. Still all I'm seeing is that one document that makes a LOT of
assumptions, without providing much help in getting started with the
migration process.
Have another look at
http://www.tenon.com/support/itools6/osx/transition_doc.shtml and try to
look at it from the eyes of someone who has a patched-together, kinda-stable
version of WebTen running, who currently has limited exposure to OS X, and
who is not that familiar with the Unix mindset. You're about to get an OS X
machine for a replacement web server and you want to see hoe difficult it's
going to be to transition. Look at that page, and here's what you might say
to yourself...
<unix-ignorant-user mindset>
OK, what's the first thing I need to do? Hmmm... something about my
linebreaks? OK, is that before or after I move the files to the OS X
machine? Hmmm... I guess 9. It looks like maybe I have to identify my
scripts, open them in BBEdit, and save with Unix linebreaks. But when I open
them in BBEdit, they already indicate Unix linebreaks, so I don't know why
they're telling me this. Hmph. OK, skip it and go to the next section for
now. Maybe I can figure this out later.
Uploading... Urk! I have to transfer 14,000 files by FTP? I suppose that
means by CGI-BIN and stuff too, right? So I copy over my virtual host
directories to whatever I can hopefully identify as the right place, right?
Then I gotta try to figure out what else goes over, and where it goes.
Should be interesting. OK, I think I can do that... could be a lot of
trouble, but we'll just have to see.
OK, now users and groups... that sounds pretty straight-forward, though I
can see there's a lot they're not telling me, so who knows.
Plug-ins. OK, I can't use Lasso 3. I knew that. Are there other ones I'm
using from the WebTen installation that I don't know about? I hope not. Hm.
(and so forth)
</unix-ignorant-user mindset>
Can you see some of the reasons for concern? What I'm asking for is for a
couple of you Tenon folks to spend a day or two writing a much more
detailed, English-language-oriented, step-by-step document that goes
something like this:
STAGE 1: PLANNING
1.1 Identify issues
1.1.1 Linebreaks.
You will need to examine your scripts to determine their save state.
Go to bla, bla directories and bla, bla...
1.1.2 File transfer methodology
You will have two choices for transferring files. Decide...
... and so on
STAGE 2. INSTALL ITOOLS ON TARGET MACHINE
STAGE 3. ITOOLS CONFIGURATION (including transfer of WT configurations)
STAGE 4. ALTER CODE, LINEBREAKS, ETC.
STAGE 5. INITIAL TEST TRANSITION OF DATA (a.k.a. What goes where)
STAGE 6. RESOLVE ISSUES ENCOUNTERED IN TEST
STAGE 7. FINAL TRANSITION
And so forth. Something that plans the process, and guides the user through
it. Of course I understand that some things may have tons of different
issues that will be different for each installation, but there has to be
some sort of overall implementation strategy that's generally going to work
for most people. There has to be. And the document that's there isn't it.
The way it looks right now, one has to jump in and make a mess, then start
asking for help. It looks simply daunting to the average OS 9 joe. There's
nothing even approaching something like "Step 1" in that document. Rather,
it seems to assume that steps 1-20 have been completed, and now the user is
caught in some technical details and needs a tad bit of help.
To make a structured document like I'm suggesting would save you Tenon folks
a good deal of tech support time, and would save TONS of time and headaches
for the people who have to do the transition. And honestly, it would make WT
users much more likely to buy iTools instead of trying other alternatives.
And I'll bet it would only take you folks a day or two to write it.
Do you think something like this would be possible?
Thanks for your help.
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