PostGIS Quickstart review - remove command line description?

[camerons]

I've added the follow review comments into the PostGIS quickstart:

For this quickstart, which targets new users who might not be familiar with databases or SQL, I suggest we drop section describing command line control of Postgres. If we do keep command line information, I suggest it is moved to the end of the quickstart, possibly added into "Things you could try". Instead, I think the Quickstart should cover:

• Keep Client/Server overview
• Create a database in pgAdmin
• Load a dataset, probably from a shapefile
• Do some SQL queries on the dataset
• Use QGis to view data from PostGIS (using the existing Natural Earth data). We should be able to keep most of the existing QGis sections

[darkblueb]

I am of the opinion that eliminating the command line from quickstarts systematically is a mistake; that a GUI should be used for the quickstart whenever possible; and that existing materials that are sound, should not be thrown away

[camerons]

I'm ok with keeping the Command Line section in the Quickstart, as long as it is comes in after the GUI description. (The Spatialite DB Quickstart has just been restructured into this format).

[hamish]

With respect to the command line stuff in PostGIS (if you could call it that, it's not arcane bash tricks or anything, just simple one liners in the psql environ which any SQL-literate reader will be right at home with) -- any sort of spatial query or equation is going to be done at that level.

pgadmin3 is a fine program, and a great way to visualize and explore how the DB is put together, but this isn't a tutorial on how to easily manage or tweak a DB -- it's a tutorial on how to do spatial analyses. pgadmin3 is just the nice data explorer along side.

If the command line is the best (i.e. most concise) or only place to perform some action then that is what should be presented. So I'm with Brian on this one, irrational fear of the command line [i.e. unknown] is something which should be actively and explicitly combated with the gentle introduction of (understandable) one liners. I'm not too worried about the order of the page where it doesn't harm the logical progression, but the content should remain where it is the best tool for the job.

best, Hamish

[kalxas]

Hi,

I just went through the PostGIS Quickstart and I think that it is of high quality. I agree that we should not remove all the CLI stuff. Perhaps we can just push the GUI part on the top of the guide.

Best, Angelos

[camerons]

Agreed in IRC meeting (pre osgeolive 6.5 release) that we should move the Command Line text to the end of the Quickstart, so long as the story still flows. Moving this to be fixed for 7.0 release.

[darkblueb]

I suggest we close this ticket for 7.0

[kalxas]

moved to next release

[astrid_emde]

• ​https://github.com/OSGeo/OSGeoLive-doc/blob/master/en/quickstart/postgis_quickstart.rst
• Do will still want to change the quickstart? I.e. move command line part to the bottom?

[kalxas]

I think we should close this ticket.