Install instructions - suggestion

[AlanTheBeast]

I had to go at this a couple times before it worked (installing Laz on Apple Si).  (Of course every time I install Laz it takes a couple go's, so there's that...).

The page: https://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Installing_the_Free_Pascal_Compiler

Contains instructions for various OS/Hardware incl. Mac - however it also has a link to a page devoted to the Mac install. https://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Installing_Lazarus_on_macOS

I would suggest that for all the major OS' on the major h/w types that each have its own page, with links in an anchor page.

Speciality instructions (re-compiling Laz for a variant OS or with special locations for fpc , etc.) could have section in the main page or a separate page of their own.

In sum, there are a lot of details in the instructions and it's all too easy to take the wrong path.  One might retort: "You have to read the instructions!" and I would retort "that's fair when the instructions are clear enough for an 11 year old like myself." (add some number of decades to that if you like).

It may be worthwhile to do the instructions as a flowchart.

[dbannon]

Alan, I tend to keep an eye on the Install Lazarus on Linux pages and recently made some updates to the Mac page. While I see your point with having separate pages for every platform combination, I don't think its a good idea.

Using the Linux page as an example, I discourage people from making a new page for every linux distribution, even, in some cases, each version of every distribution !  It leads to far too many unmaintained pages and its not a good look when someone googles for "installing lazarus on Linux" and gets a page that tells them to run "apt-get install lazarus" on a Ubuntu 14.04 box !

In the case of the Mac page, just how different is the process on Apple Silicon ?  I personally have no idea but if its broadly similar, a single page covering all MacOS is likely to get a lot more love and care than one devoted to a single point in time and space.

But, as you know Alan, the Wiki is open to everyone (after a very easy test to get in initially). If you think a new page is needed, its up to you, as an Apple Silicon owner, to make it !  Or, your choice, add what you have recently learnt to the existing page. Those who come after you will be grateful which ever way you choose to go.

Davo

[Martin_fr]

each version of every distribution

Usually older version of a distro should be explained on older pages of the wiki (wiki history).

Eventually (if all goes well) the wiki-page may be updated to cover distros of the last X years.  At that point any older distro-versions will disappear from the current version of the wiki page.

But, a wiki page can have links to its own history. And since the older distro no longer changes, neither needs the older version of the wiki. The current page therefore can simply say: if you have this or that version: see here (and link to it's own history)

[AlanTheBeast]

Alan, I tend to keep an eye on the Install Lazarus on Linux pages and recently made some updates to the Mac page. While I see your point with having separate pages for every platform combination, I don't think its a good idea.

Using the Linux page as an example, I discourage people from making a new page for every linux distribution, even, in some cases, each version of every distribution !  It leads to far too many unmaintained pages and its not a good look when someone googles for "installing lazarus on Linux" and gets a page that tells them to run "apt-get install lazarus" on a Ubuntu 14.04 box !

In the case of the Mac page, just how different is the process on Apple Silicon ?  I personally have no idea but if its broadly similar, a single page covering all MacOS is likely to get a lot more love and care than one devoted to a single point in time and space.

But, as you know Alan, the Wiki is open to everyone (after a very easy test to get in initially). If you think a new page is needed, its up to you, as an Apple Silicon owner, to make it !  Or, your choice, add what you have recently learnt to the existing page. Those who come after you will be grateful which ever way you choose to go.

Davo

I wasn't thinking of every flavour of Linux (though that's another ding-dong for why Linux desktop sucks, I digress), just the major OS':

Main page:
Simple overview - link to other pages

Sub-pages
- Windows
- Mac OS
- Linux / Maybe Unix (but not Mac).
- Other

More to maintain, perhaps, but less questions about why it always seems to go wrong.

It wasn't that I was doing Apple Silicon (itslelf) that got me into the morass, just that that's what I was doing at the time.  Seems to me the last few times I've installed Laz I've had to go through it twice because I missed something somewhere.  (Using the Linux instructions for Mac certainly didn't help - esp. as the process went a real long way before things didn't connect (location of the source files)).

Alan, the Wiki is open to everyone (after a very easy test to get in initially). If you think a new page is needed, its up to you, as an Apple Silicon owner, to make it !

I see what you did there!  I don't think I'm qualified for such.  Not that I can't describe it, but I don't know the pitfalls or the various tools and repositories well enough.

[dbannon]

...
I wasn't thinking of every flavour of Linux (though that's another ding-dong for why Linux desktop sucks, I digress), just the major OS':
Main page:
Simple overview - link to other pages

Sub-pages
- Windows
- Mac OS
- Linux / Maybe Unix (but not Mac).
- Other

Main page:

• Simple overview - link to other pages - that would be https://wiki.freepascal.org/Installing_Lazarus

Sub-pages

• Windows - that would be https://wiki.freepascal.org/Installing_Lazarus_on_Windows
• Mac OS - that would be https://wiki.freepascal.org/Installing_Lazarus_on_macOS
• Linux / Maybe Unix (but not Mac). - that would be https://wiki.freepascal.org/Installing_Lazarus_on_Linux
• Other - lots of others !

(Using the Linux instructions for Mac certainly didn't help - esp. as the process went a real long way before things didn't connect (location of the source files)).

No Alan, I would not expect the Linux pages to be very helpful when installing on MacOS. I'd suggest the MacOS page.

I don't think I'm qualified for such.  Not that I can't describe it, but I don't know the pitfalls or the various tools and repositories well enough.

I'd suggest you are eminently qualified. You have done it !  Just go over what you have done, take careful notes. Sure, it may not be perfect but almost anything you done is useful to someone. I am most certainly not a regular Mac user, sounds like you are.

Davo