I really do. Recently I was trying to see if I could help anybody out with their WordPress questions and came across the sub-forum of localhost installs. I figure why not? I once had issues trying to figure out why I couldn’t see the pages.
The issue that was on the plate was a server 500 error. I’ve had quiet a few of those and to this day I don’t like seeing them. Simple thing meaning that the server isn’t configured properly. At least that was the solution after I read the title and posted. I read the first reply which was simple with a link to how to install WordPress on a local machine with different software. I checked it out to see some of the documentation and lo and behold it was a little out of date.
The link to the tutorial was an expired domain. Needless to say it was pretty useless. Hoping to see a tutorial I found nothing but an outdated documentation for something useful. At least I think it is useful. Now part of me wants to create a quick tutorial on how to install the most current version of XAMPP ( 1.8.1 currently ) on a Windows 7 computer. While it is simple since they have been gracious enough to include an executable file for simpletons like myself they also have documentation on how to install without the installer for the more adventurous types out there.
At the same time I feel like it will be an almost moot point in that it is extremely easy to just click a few buttons and call it a day. I hate debating simple things like that sometimes but when it comes down to it some people really don’t know what they are doing. I was like that at one point.
I can remember trying to set up my testing environment and trying to use DreamWeaver almost two years ago when I was taking online courses. It felt like a huge ordeal to get it to work properly until I finally read part of the instructions that made sense to me. As it turned out I was using the wrong directory in DreamWeaver.
One more reason I deterred from using any WYSIWYG editors. I like being able to see the code I am typing. Takes me back to when sites were done using tables where now they are using sections, articles and divisions but I’m getting sidetracked.
I’m tempted to find who is responsible for that page that was linked so that I can report the broken link and see about putting in my own steps to creating a localhost and installing WordPress on it to test and hack. In the mean time I just have to take screenshots of every step taken or find a way to create a screencast for future users.