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@cidrblock cidrblock commented Jul 15, 2025

Overview

This PR completely rewrites the README to transform it from a basic, informal document into professional technical documentation suitable for experienced Python and Ansible developers.

Key Improvements

Target Audience Refinement

  • Focused on experienced Python and Ansible developers
  • Removed marketing language, emojis, and informal tone
  • Added technical depth and precision

Content Structure & Organization

  • Philosophy section: Explains why isolated environments matter for collection development
  • Collection Search Path Pollution: Deep dive into Ansible's collection discovery behavior and how it causes development issues
  • Technical explanations: Clear documentation of isolation modes, search path priority, and configuration options

Installation & Usage

  • uv tool recommendation: Positioned as primary installation method with explanation
  • Actual CLI output: Real help text and examples instead of placeholder content
  • Practical examples: Realistic usage scenarios with expected output
  • Python version specification: Documented capabilities for multi-version development

Technical Value Proposition

  • ansible-galaxy limitations: Respectfully explained without disparagement - focuses on Python dependency gap
  • Virtual environment benefits: Clear explanation of why collections go into venv site-packages
  • Workspace isolation: Technical details on preventing version conflicts

Comprehensive Reference

  • Environment variables: Complete documentation of configuration options
  • Troubleshooting: Common issues and solutions
  • Configuration: ansible.cfg integration and collection requirements
  • Related tools: Context within the Ansible ecosystem

Technical Highlights

Collection Search Path Analysis

Added detailed explanation of Ansible's collection discovery priority:

  1. ANSIBLE_COLLECTIONS_PATHS environment variable
  2. ~/.ansible/collections (user directory)
  3. /usr/share/ansible/collections (system directory)
  4. Virtual environment site-packages

This explains why collections in higher-priority locations override your development environment, causing silent version conflicts and debugging challenges.

Philosophy of Isolation

Explains why disposable virtual environments are essential:

  • Complete dependency isolation per project
  • Reproducible development environments
  • Safe experimentation without polluting other projects
  • Version control friendly (venvs excluded from git)

Impact

This documentation positions ansible-dev-environment as a professional development tool that complements ansible-galaxy by solving real technical challenges in collection development workflows. It provides the depth needed for experienced developers to understand the tool's value and use it effectively.

The README now serves as both introduction and comprehensive reference, eliminating the need for users to discover features through trial and error or source code examination.

…tation

- Transform README from basic/informal to professional technical documentation
- Target experienced Python and Ansible developers with technical depth
- Add Philosophy section explaining workspace isolation importance
- Detail collection search path pollution and why it causes development issues
- Recommend uv tool installation as primary installation method
- Include actual CLI help output and realistic usage examples
- Explain three isolation modes and their technical implications
- Add comprehensive troubleshooting and configuration sections
- Remove marketing language and focus on technical value proposition
- Explain ansible-galaxy limitations respectfully without disparagement
- Document Python version specification capabilities and environment variables

This addresses the need for professional documentation that clearly explains
the technical challenges ADE solves and provides practical guidance for
collection developers.
@cidrblock cidrblock requested a review from a team as a code owner July 15, 2025 20:46
@github-actions github-actions bot added the bug Something isn't working label Jul 15, 2025
- Rewrite introduction paragraph to emphasize isolated workspaces and ADE capabilities
- Remove ansible-galaxy reference from opening, focus on positive value proposition
- Restructure overview to lead with ADE's comprehensive capabilities
- Move ansible-galaxy mention to appropriate context within collection management discussion
- Position ADE as complementing rather than addressing limitations of other tools
- Highlight collection install/removal with dependency tracking as primary capability
@cidrblock cidrblock enabled auto-merge (squash) July 23, 2025 13:30
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