[docs] Move mkcert to the top for Linux [skip ci]

[gitressa]

Solves #4912.

The Issue

The mkcert command is placed at the bottom, under the Arch Linux section, but it is a requirement for all Linux installations.

How This PR Solves The Issue

It moves the mkcert info to the beginning of the Linux section, since it is a requirement for all Linux installations. Repeating it under each Linux distro would break with the DRY principle.

Manual Testing Instructions

Automated Testing Overview

Related Issue Link(s)

Release/Deployment Notes

[mattstein]

Thanks for this, @gitressa!

I’m usually a fierce advocate of DRY in principle, and these instructions are distinctly not following that which is my intent after a recent-ish PR.

Regardless of whether your new section stays, which seems reasonable because of Firefox, my preference would be to allow each distro’s instructions to be self-contained—in other words move mkcert -install above DDEV’s install line if that’s what’s needed. Possibly include mkcert installation for each distro—sudo apt-get -y install mkcert for Debian/Ubuntu, for example, if that’s not overly specific.

My thinking is that most people on this page are looking to install DDEV on their distro, not understand how DDEV can be installed on every Linux distro, and therefore instructions for each one should be brief and self-contained. If someone needs to read every part of the page and adventure to other docs in order to install DDEV, I imagine the docs could be making their life easier.

That said, the fact that you’re offering this PR may mean I was wrong.

I’ll leave the decision to @rfay—thanks again for improving these instructions!

[gitressa]

Thanks @mattstein and @rfay! I updated the merge request.

I agree that it would be nice to include install commands for each Linux distro. On the other hand, some might want to install with another method. I for example chose to use the pre-built binaries method, for some reason.

[gitressa]

@rfay: Unfortunately, as you see, he doesn't stop by the mkcert project very often. Glad you added your "me too" there.

Yes ... let's hope that the Firefox tip issue in mkcert gets resolved soon. Otherwise we can revisit this issue and consider adding the removed tip.

Firefox users may get prompted for Password or Pin for "NSS Certificate DB" which is the Firefox master password

Are the doc files getting generated on a cyclical basis (like a house keeping task) every so often?

[rfay]

What docs are you talking about? DDEV Docs are generated on merge. Your change is now in https://ddev.readthedocs.io/en/latest/users/install/ddev-installation/#linux

Looking at it there though I do think it should be in each section :(

[gitressa]

I got served an old version from February 2023, but now I see the updated version. Weird.

[rfay]

There are 2 versions of docs. "stable", which is latest release (which would be v1.21.6) and "latest", which builds from the most recent commits on master.

[gitressa]

Ah yes, I just figured it out, and found the reason for the different versions.

This is how I usually access the DDEV documents:

1. Open https://ddev.readthedocs.io
2. Click "DDEV Installation"
3. Get https://ddev.readthedocs.io/en/stable/users/install/ddev-installation/ -- which is stable

See that the version is last updated "March 5, 2023". This is the version I have been looking at.

You posted a link to https://ddev.readthedocs.io/en/latest/users/install/ddev-installation/ -- which is latest.

As a user, I would expect to get the latest most relevant version on https://ddev.readthedocs.io by default ...

I think there should be only one version publicly available online, which is the latest. The other version (stable) should be removed from the internet, to avoid confusion.

[rfay]

We've struggled with this for some time. The problem is that most people use the stable version of DDEV. So they would find features that don't exist in the "latest" version. OTOH kind people like you come along and fix docs that affect the current stable, so it would be best that the stable docs be updated in that case :)

[gitressa]

Sorry if I came off a bit harsh ... I have to emphasize that I am very grateful for this wonderful tool which everyone can freely use, based largely on your efforts. So thank you very much for that!

Some things are quite easy compared to other Docker-based tools, such as setting up Xdebug and PhpStorm in DDEV. (I added the DDEV section earlier today.)

And yes, I do see the challenge of juggling different versions of documentation, and have created #4922, maybe it is possible?

[rfay]

I didn't think you were harsh. It's a problem we've thought about a long time but haven't figured out a path for.

[gitressa]

Good. When I re-read my comment earlier, the tone just felt a bit stern.

Anyway, did y'all see FiloSottile/mkcert#100 (comment)?

[rfay]

Of course, yeah I see everything that happens on that repo.. but not sure how to make progress. He should really add a co-maintainer, but haven't seen that happening either.