Formulating the Scope

[xynydev]

So with the project becoming independent of Universal Blue while taking inspiration from it's important cultural and organizational aspects, I think it's about time we write down some sort of scope. This scope doesn't need to ever be ready, and changes can be made when agreed upon. Here's the Universal Blue scope for comparison: https://universal-blue.org/scope/.

Here's also what I roughly outlined on the BlueBuild scope page earlier:

• trying to make making custom images of linux accessible and easy
  • tooling, abstraction, good documentation, and guides for different approaches
• supporting multiple base images
• hub for discussion around making custom images

Feel free to throw your comments and ideas in the mix, and I'll attempt to turn that into a clear page in the documentation.

Some questions that might help with the thinking: What is BlueBuild? What does it strive to be? What is the core idea of BlueBuild? What kinds of side projects or diversions from the core would be acceptable?

[bayou-brogrammer]

Something I think we can really drive home is the user friendly advenue we are perusing.

being able to take ublue, create an abstraction over the progress already made and being made, and deliver that in a way for users to make rapid iterative development cycles without having to manually create most things that were built in bluefin, bazzite, etc

[xynydev]

Yeah, so

• user friendliness
  • i see this being in the same group of adjectives as acccessibility in this case
• sharing of more complicated features and best practices

[fiftydinar]

hub for discussion around making custom images

I find the current differentiation between website, GitHub & Discord very good.
Website for getting informed about BlueBuild, GitHub for creating issues & PRs, Discord for quick live support.
They all have their own advantages outlined above, without much colliding with each other in functions.

I don't like that Universal Blue additionally uses Discourse, as it does not add anything better to the table imo, but just unnecessary fragmentation & potential confusion to the users.
We already write blogs for news for BlueBuild project & GitHub is used for creating issues, so I think we do not need something like Discourse.

[xynydev]

I don't like that Universal Blue additionally uses Discourse.

I agree 100%. Discourse might be better forum software or more accessible than GitHub Discussions for a general audience, but as developer tooling I think it's safe to expect our users have GitHub accounts. I also find Discourse pretty bad for documentation. I mean, its a wiki, but very unstructured and hard to follow.

This isn't really something I'd put in the scope, though.

[bayou-brogrammer]

Posting from old comment:

I agree. I find discourse almost ancient in design and structure. A well documented / organized discord server + GitHub org does wonders

[xynydev]

Ok, so...

The main goal of the BlueBuild is making building custom images of existing Linux distributions accessible and user-friendly. The approach for that is using automation and abstraction, which allow users to worry less about their builds working or the specific implementation details.
The core of the project is its tooling; the process of turning a well-defined recipe format into a functional custom image by utilizing modules. The project seeks to maintain quality documentation that provides useful or interesting insight about both making custom images and the project itself. The project aims to support a healthy community of Linux users and tinkerers, serving as a hub for discussion around custom image creation.

...how does that sound?

[xynydev]

Just for fun I asked ChatGPT what the text above means. And it got it right. And turned it into useful and readable bullet-points...

This text describes the main objectives and approach of a project called BlueBuild. Here's a breakdown:

• Main Goal: The primary objective of BlueBuild is to simplify the process of creating custom images of existing Linux distributions. The emphasis is on making this process accessible and user-friendly.
• Approach: BlueBuild achieves its goal through automation and abstraction. By automating tasks and abstracting away complexities, users can focus less on technical details and more on their specific requirements.
• Core of the Project: The core aspect of BlueBuild is its tooling. It involves converting a well-defined recipe format into a functional custom image by utilizing modules. This process streamlines the creation of custom images.
• Documentation: BlueBuild emphasizes the importance of maintaining high-quality documentation. This documentation serves to offer useful insights into both the process of creating custom images and details about the BlueBuild project itself.
• Community Support: The project aims to foster a healthy community of Linux users and enthusiasts, particularly those interested in custom image creation. It serves as a platform for discussions, collaboration, and sharing ideas related to this topic.

In summary, BlueBuild focuses on simplifying the creation of custom Linux images through automation, abstraction, comprehensive documentation, and community engagement.

I might actually prefer ChatGPT's approach. Mine's just a wall of text!

[fiftydinar]

ChatGPT nailed it

[xynydev]

We now have a scope page! Beautiful!

https://blue-build.org/learn/scope/