Recommend squashing the commits to prevent upstream git logs being polluted with the small changes

Thanks for submitting the pull request. Since most OneDev users are using generic installation method for running OneDev on Ubuntu, Mac and Windows, please keep this as default installation approach. We can add OS specific installation method as a plus, something like below:

Generic Installation

...

Alternative OS specific Installation Instructions

Alternatively, you may also use OS specific installation approaches below:

ArchLinux

...

Also as explained in previous installation instructions, fontconfig and ttf-dejavu is only need to be installed on ArchLinux, and curl is only necessary on Linux and Mac, as it is shipped together with git on Windows. I'd suggest to move the dependencies section into ArchLinux installation instructions, and leave previous installatation as is, as it is very clear on steps to be done.

Hmm having specific dependencies for each platform is a little annoying... Before it explained it but it was really wordy (and a lot of people are lazy, including me). What about splitting it up into the 3 OS's then it would be easier to understand, in my opinion.

I will commit this in a moment.

also @robin why is fontconfig and ttf-dejavu needed only on Arch Linux, distributions such as gentoo would need them too surely?

I am aware most linux distros come with them preinstalled, but its still worth listing them for all distributions to ensure the font is installed, better be safe than sorry?

OneDev supports not just three OSes. The generic installation guide also works on FreeBSD, AIX, HP-UX, and many others. I agree that listing all the dependencies for each OS is very verbose. So I put them in steps and mentions which OS require some additional dependencies.

I did not test on gentoo. If it does, it should also be mentioned.

I am not doing a gentoo setup to make sure, but by default fontconfig and fonts are not preinstalled within the base install, thus I assume they would.

Maybe its better to name "Generic dependencies" and then for each operating system explain that this dependency is needed and this is not

That is a bit complex. Most users are using the generic instatallation steps, and currently they just need to follow 1, 2, 3.

Making a generic dependencies plus OS specific dependency complicates the simple installation instructions for most OSes.

The issue with it right now, is that it can be quite confusing, most people (including me) just look at the name of dependencies and just install them, someone who is skimming the install guide will not pick up on the fact that different dependencies are needed for different installs.

Also, the generic install is not generic, it is more a "mish mash install" of all 3 major platforms, surely a generic install should state, YOU DO need a font, curl and git regardless of if their platform comes preinstalled with this or not, it must be there.

What about formatting it like:

• Generic Linux
• (distribution specific linux installs here)
• Windows
• Mac OS X
• Generic Install (name all dependencies)

I put Linux at the top because I feel the majority of VM's would run linux, then in a small majority windows

Also I am aware this approach is even more verbose, but it is more specific instead of mashing them all together. Most installation guides separate into different sections for each platform and then provide a generic install for a reason that if say someone wanted help with installing on linux, you link them to the linux guide, currently this can not be done cause all guides are mashed into a "generic installation"

Sorry I will disagree. Generic installation approach states each step clearly and it covers most OSes, and service installation, upgrade guide and many other utilities (reset admin password, enter into maintenance mode etc) are based on generic installation.

Developing / maintaining these for each OS means a lot of work. This is another reason I am using JSW to do the heavy lift.

So generic installation is official supported and should be mentioned as the default, and community contributed OS specific package installs are supplementary.

An example, I did not even tested on AIX, and some users tell me it works like a charm on that platform, with system service integration.

Give me 10 mins and I will commit what I have done and then get your opinion on it, its hard to explain. (and also about the maintaining thing, that is why you have contributors 😃 )

An example, I did not even tested on AIX, and some users tell me it works like a charm on that platform, with system service integration.

I am not saying remove the generic install, I am saying make it more generic, it currently is more of a generic + all 3 major platforms.

Also for the font, does it need to be ttf-dejavu?

I am not sure, some user reported it does not work on ArchLinux, and google gives me this suggestion.

I am not saying remove the generic install, I am saying make it more generic, it currently is more of a generic + all 3 major platforms.

I mean to make generic install the default and explicit, and others being supplementary. Of course, communities can help here, but there is also something should be officially supported by core team.

Arch Linux (and other minimalistic Linux distributions) do not come preinstalled with fontconfig and fonts for it to load, it is one of the steps within the graphical user interface installation guides over on the Arch Wiki.

I will add this to the ArchWiki page which I have been working on to compliment the arch package.

@robin Where in the codebase contains the logic for the generation of the default avatars, I want to see if it is ttf-dejavu specific or can use any font.

https://code.onedev.io/onedev/server/~files/131fbda36dd4f79e704ac45a7178090f9f0608ff/server-core/src/main/java/io/onedev/server/web/avatar/DefaultAvatarManager.java?position=source-129.1-132.44-1

Actually here: https://code.onedev.io/onedev/server/~files/131fbda36dd4f79e704ac45a7178090f9f0608ff/server-core/src/main/java/io/onedev/server/web/avatar/AvatarGenerator.java?position=source-19.14-19.29-1

@robin Please take a look at the commit I just pushed, I feel this is more useful as it separates the guides out meaning that you can follow a more precise guide instead of just one generic guide.

If other maintainers want to add additional Linux Distributions, it is easy to do, write the guide and then link it at the top of the page.

Also for Mac OS X I highly recommend using Homebrew, it makes installation easier and also allows easier updating of dependencies.

@robin Looking into the font issue, what issues did people report on Arch Linux? The avatar not generating?

@polarian thanks for the effort. I like the re-organized installation guide. It is more clear than my original version. However I will insist to remove ArchLinux AUR installation instruction from the foremost list, as I can not support it officially with my limited time. You may add a separate section, something like community supported package installations, and put ArchLinux underneath it.

@robin I will separate the installation guides out into "Officially supported installations" and "Community maintained" so that it is more clear (and add a disclaimer to the Arch Linux section declaring that Robin does not maintain the arch package and that it is maintained by @bengcooper and co-maintained by @polarian

That will be great! 👍 Thanks for understanding

As to font, pease check this issue:

https://code.onedev.io/onedev/server/~issues/903

@robin can you review the latest commit, I have split up the guides into community maintained and officially supported. I added a community wiki page to list the community members contacts, as I doubt you want to be informed about issues with unofficial features, the community member maintaining it does. If you don't like it I can delete it.

Thanks for your help. Really appreciated!

No problem, glad I could help :)