quickstart: revise and perhaps simplify quickstarts

[odeke-em]

Feedback from a couple of folks has been that perhaps we should reduce the quickstarts to something so simple e.g. straight up just configuring exporters.

In the past we had simple quickstarts that used preconfigured stats and traces and would run once, but from the documentation expedition from OpenDevise Inc and the feedback that we received from the various interviews, users complained that the quickstarts were too simple and didn't guide folks through successfully getting acquainted with OpenCensus, hence became like too much magic.

This issue is to have a discussion on ideas for simplifying things, perhaps find a middle ground or try out different samples and ask users for feedback to get to a nice quickstart.

/cc @dinooliva @shahprit @hvent90 @mtwo @jparsana @flands @rakyll @rghetia @pjanotti @songy23 @bogdandrutu and anyone interested

[shahprit]

my 2 cents

• I don't think the quickstart should be diluted / simplified. I feel there are a few steps before it that are missing.

IMO, step 1 : Tell me exactly how i can try OpenCensus with minimum steps? This means the user just configures exporter and relies on framework level instrumentation to see data in the backend.

Step 2 : Download hipstershop demo, tell the user exactly how to navigate and get familiar

Step 3 : Adding custom spans, collecting custom metrics. This is what we have today.

I also have few other suggestions :

• Create a section that says "How do I get involved" for contributors (call it out explicitly in left panel)
• How do I create an exporter (call it out explicitly in left panel)
• Community (open invie, meeting minutes, gitter link) (call it out explicitly in left panel)
• How to section (that shows how to create custom metrics, how to create interceptors, how to create annotations, etc).

I feel that the current structure and content is not prescriptive. I want to find information (based on what I want to do) in <10 seconds and I want to be able to copy paste.

The current structure is good if you want to publish a book.

[hvent90]

Ray Tsang helped whip up a Tracing Quickstart that touches upon @shahprit's step 1.

I would be all for helming the PR to bring that quickstart into this repo should we find consensus.

Here is a screengrab to highlight its focus on "minimum steps":

[odeke-em]

Great idea to bring up that Tracing quickstart, I am on board with us doing that as per @shahprit's Step 1! It's a way more useful and articulate quickstart and gets them running immediately and then shows them the various steps.